The Last Fight
by IcamaneHatake
Summary: Sequel to As The Sister of Harry Potter. Now that she and her friends are out of school, Jennifer Potter will have to face tough challenges, fight the shadow over the wizarding world, and most importantly, fight her own personal shadows. HBP & DH
1. A New Beginning

**_REMINDER! This is a SEQUEL to another fic, As The Sister of Harry Potter. You need to read that first, and even if you already have, I've been doing some major editing on it, you'll need to at least go back through chapters 1-22. Thanks and enjoy!_**

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_Lance's lips pull away from the passionate kiss. His grey eyes flinted maliciously. _

"_I'm so sorry, Jennifer, my love. But I'm going to have to kill you now. My face will be the last one you ever see."_

_His strong hands found my throat and started squeezing. It took a moment to figure out what exactly was going on, but one I did, I started fighting like mad. I had lost my wand somehow, rendering myself pretty much useless. Now I had to rely on brute force, which against Lance was not going to be effective. Still, I had to try. I started flailing, kicking and clawing at his hands. My nails nicked his hands a few times, but he didn't let up._

_I lashed out in desperation and managed a lucky kick that landed close to his groin. His grip loosened a little and I got a small breath of air, but in his rage he launched me up and into the prophecy shelf behind me. I let out a scream as I hit the shelf and the glass shattered around me. I felt the cutting glass slice open some of the scalp on the back of my skull. I was slipping from consciousness, blood trickling down my neck, my body aching everywhere. As my eyes began to flutter shut, I saw Lance standing over me, his wand positioned over my heart. _

_Then I let my heavy eyelids close and I fell into a darkness where there was nothing but someone calling my name, "Jennifer… Jennifer…"_

"Jennifer… _Jen!_ Wake up!"

My eyes snapped open with a jolt. I was laying on a cheap couch in a small flat, not the Hall of Prophecies with shattered glass all around me. I almost second-guessed myself when I met the very same pair of grey eyes as had been in my dream hovering over me, but I sighed in relief when my brain registered they belonged to the female counterpart of Lance with long waves of dark brown hair.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Sarlanda Malfoy asked, tapping my forehead gently with her long forefinger.

"Uh… ugh. Yeah," I responded slowly, struggling to remember how I had gotten here in the first place. Then it struck me. I had come in at about three in the morning from doing something (probably for the Order) and crashed on Sarlanda's couch. Merlin I needed to get a place of my own. But first that would require some sort of job. Bloody hell it was hard trying to live on your own. But at least it was better than living with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia.

It had been almost two weeks since myself, Sarlanda, Lance, Ophilia McLaggen, and several others had graduated from Hogwarts. Scott-free, no more classes. But that also meant total independence, too. For some people, namely Sarlanda, and my best guys mates Fred and George Weasley, their futures were secure for now. Fred and George were of course running and living above their own joke shop in Diagon Alley, and Sarlanda was working as a Healer at St. Mungo's, living in the shoddy London flat she had taken over almost six months ago. Some people like Lee Jordan and Sophia Warbeck lived together but worked separately to make ends meet, or like Ophilia lived and worked with their friends. Some people like my lovely significant other Cedric Diggory had to live with their parents for the time being due to safely issues. And then there were still some of us, like myself and Brittany Chang, who had simply been thrown out of their houses and forced to try and make due. Thus explaining why I was sleeping on Sarlanda's couch.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Sarlanda asked as she walked lightly and gracefully over to the kitchen area and flicked on the stove.

"Yeah. Well, more of a flashback this time," I said, sitting up and stretching.

"Of?"

"What happened in the Hall of Prophecies."

"All of it or just the part with Lance?" Sarlanda inquired, finding some bacon in the fridge and setting it on to cook.

"Um, about half the stuff with Lance. The bloody stuff," I said, trying not to sound shifty. "What time is it anyways?"

"Almost three. I've already eaten lunch, so this is yours," she stated as the bacon started to sizzle. My mind jolted. Had been asleep for almost twelve hours? That was almost unheard of now a days, especially since Lance _loves _sending me nightmares, just because he can.

"We have another meeting tonight?" I asked, yawning and standing. My black cloak had been hung up on a peg by the door with my wand in one of its pockets. I walked over and took it, running my fingers over the polished rosewood. It was because of this wonderful combination of rosewood and dragon heartstring that I had been able to do anything with my life. It had already helped me get into the Order of the Phoenix and leading me onto the road of Wizarding improvement, but now it really needed to help me find a freaking _job._

"I know what you've thinking, Jen, and no, I don't mind you sleeping here. It's not like I pay rent anyways, the Muggles haven't a clue I'm here."

Sarlanda had a nasty habit of listening in on my thoughts on occasion. But she wasn't near as bad as Lance, thank goodness.

"And I keep telling you, you need to learn Occlumency if you want the nightmares to stop. You and Harry both."

"Yeah, I know. But just as ridiculously good Legilimency skills seem to run in your family, rather poor Occlumency skills seem to run in mine."

We Apparated from Sarlanda's flat to the road to the Burrow at around seven.

"When do you test for your Apparation License?" Sarlanda asked as we started up the dirt road.

"A week. Thank goodness too, I hate doing side-along. I feel like a freaking kid."

Sarlanda half-smiled at that. I really did hate it though. I was the only one out of my friends that didn't have their License yet. This was due to the fact that I was the youngest out of everyone, and by the time I was eligible to test, the bloody Ministry was being stupid and I never would have gotten a fair test. But not that they had finally gotten it through their heads that Voldemort was back, I could test.

We knocked on the Weasley's front door.

"Name yourself!" said Mr. Weasley from inside. He sounded stressed, like everyone else.

"Sarlanda Bellatrix Malfoy and Jennifer LilyAnne Potter," I answered.

"And what did you do your sixth year at Hogwarts?"

"We changed the password of the Prefect's bathroom to 'makes getting clean almost as much fun as getting dirty'," Sarlanda said, and the door opened. Mr. Weasley's weary smile greeted us.

"Glad you two made it."

"Same here Mr. Weasley, but I'm not sure how long I can stay. My shift at the hospital starts at nine thirty," said Sarlanda, glancing around for a clock that told time.

"Right, well, it should all be over by then, I don't think Dumbledore is planning for a very long meeting, just giving out assignments for our newer recruits." He looked pointedly at me. He meant everyone from my year that had joined, save Sarlanda.

We ventured to the living room where the meeting would be, since there were a lot of people here, almost the entire Order, in fact. A few people weren't here, like McGonagall, Snape, and Remus Lupin, but Kingsley and Tonks were here. Tonks hadn't been quite right since Sirius had been killed in June. His death had hit us all hard, but she was the worst. She constantly kept her hair a mousey brown, no longer the vibrant purples and pinks she had loved. She was quieter, and sadder. And I knew exactly what she was going through, because I was experiencing it too. Sirius, Harry and I's amazing godfather, whom we saved from Dementors, who helped me become an Animagus despite my sometimes dismal Transfiguration skills, who had sacrificed himself to protect Harry… he was gone. It made my heart hurt so much sometimes I got sick to my stomach. I could only imagine how Tonks and Hyden, Sirius's son, must feel.

"Jen! Sar!" cried a happy voice, and up jumped Ophilia, McLaggen from her spot on the couch to hug Sarlanda and I.

"You'd think we've been separated for years and not a week," said Sarlanda moodily.

"Don't be such a downer Sar, you know how much I worry about you two!"

"Worry about Jennifer, not me. She's the homeless bum, not me."

Ophilia's jaw dropped in shock, chunks of her wild purple hair falling over her chocolate eyes. She really needed a hair cut. "You _still_ haven't found a place?"

I chuckled nervously. "Um, yeah, no, I haven't. I'm still looking."

"Really now? I find that fascinating."

I jumped in my skin and would have hexed the owner of at voice in a second had it not belonged to Cedric Diggory. I instead slapped him in the chest as hard as I could, which was actually rather hard, if I do say so myself.

"Ow, jeeze Jen."

"Don't _do_ that then! You know I hate it!" I mumbled into his shoulder as he pulled me into a hug.

"Sorry love."

He and Ophilia took us over to the "newbie" couch. Practically all my friends were here. Fred and George were sitting on the couch with Cedric's best mates, Colin Parker and Jared Hood. Stacey Fires, Lee Jordan, and Sophia Warbeck sat at their feet, Sophia idly changing the colours of the fire with a flick of her wand. Standing in the background looking a bit awkward was Brittany Chang, holding her three-month-old daughter, Diana. I didn't blame Brittany for being nervous, though. All through our school years, right up until last Christmas, we had been huge rivals. I was the first to warm up to her, then Ophilia and Cedric, but the Twins and Sar were still sort of proving to be difficult sometimes. But I did try my hardest for Brittany to feel welcome. After all, I _was_ Diana's godmother. It was sort of in my job description.

"Hey Britt, how are you holding up?" I asked her as I stood next to her, ignoring Ophilia's demands of sitting by her.

"About as well as you've been by the sounds of it," Brittany said, trying to smile.

"Lovely," I said, scrunching my nose.

"Yeah. But Diana's been okay, so that's what matters."

I glanced into the bundle of blankets to see Diana sleeping peacefully, so I didn't ask to hold her. "She's getting more hair," I instead commented, and Brittany nodded.

"Good evening everyone," came Albus Dumbledore's voice from in front of the fireplace. The chatter died instantly and everyone focused on him. "I know most of you have work to attend to, so we'll try and keep this meeting short. First of all, Cornelius Fudge is leaving office next week. He will be replaced by the current head of Aurors, Rufus Schrimgeour."

I worked to keep my face straight, and I'm pretty sure if it had been appropriate, nearly everyone would have been cheering.

"That means Kingsley will be taking over the position. Second of all, as I'm sure everyone has noticed, the Dementors have left Azkaban and joined up with Voldemort. Now, we can only fight so many of them, and the largest concentration of them is in and around London, so that is where we will concentrate as well. I would like at least five people on patrol at all times. We need to keep the Muggle population safe, and although everyone here can do one, keep in mind that not all wizards can produce a Patronus. This is a task I leave up to all of you."

Dumbledore's x-ray vision eyes swept over our couch. There were twelve of us. Keeping five on patrol at all times was going to be hard.

"Sarlanda, I'm leaving you in charge of keeping people on patrol."

"Yes sir," she responded, nodding her head slightly, but gravely.

"Good. Then I'll dismiss you to your flat so you can make plans."

"Come on everyone," urged Sarlanda, and we all followed her out into the kitchen.

"Everyone knows where my flat is, yes?" she asked, looking at everyone in turn. No one dared to say no. Sarlanda had her heart in the right place, but she was still scary to anyone who didn't know her well. Hell, she still scared me sometimes.

"Right, see you there in a few minutes."

Sarlanda and I were the first ones back. "Actually Jen, I remember now that Flourish and Blotts took out an ad in the _Prophet _looking for workers, you could go work there."

That didn't actually sound too bad. "I'll check it out tomorrow. Thanks Sar."

The meeting at Sarlanda's flat lasted until she had to go to work. I ended up patrolling every other night from eleven to four in the morning. I had taken it without complaint, because I new there weren't many other people who would have taken it. People began clearing out, and I crashed on my usual couch. Cedric sat on the couch arm by my head.

"So you really don't have a place yet?"

"Nope. Why?"

"Well, I'm actually moving out and into a flat over by Kings Cross, because I'm not under as much threat anymore, so maybe, if you wanted to… you could move in?"

My hazel eyes shot open and I grinned the biggest grin I had in a while.

"Cedric, that would be bloody brilliant."

"Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow," he said cheerily. He bent over, kissed my lips quickly, and was out the door. My eyes lingered there for a few moments.

Maybe, finally, life would slowly start to kind of go right again.

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**Hey guys and welcome back! I know it's late summer, but here it is! I really hope you enjoy it and that it lives up to your expectations (or unexpectations *tehe*). I have some rather interesting stuff planned, so hang on!**

**Reviews, love, concrit, random fangirl squeeling is now accepted at this time. Just push that review button and let loose ;)**

**Love,  
~Icamane**


	2. The Storm Brews

"Jennifer, are you _sure_ this will be safe?"

Galloping Gargoyles the stress was turning everyone mad. First Tonks denies her normal hair colour, now Sarlanda was worrying and second-guessing… what was next? Ophilia turning into a fire-breathing dragon?

"Yes Sarlanda, it'll be fine. Cedric and his dad did a Fidelius Charm this morning, _and_ it's Unplottable."

Sarlanda was frowning. "Jennifer… do you really think that's going to stop Lance? I mean, I'm surprised he hasn't already found you." I sighed. "Don't give me that, Jen. This could be what he's been waiting for. We both know you're not as well protected with Cedric. No offense to him but… I fight better than him. Hell, Ophilia can fight better than him."

Ouch, that hurt. But, sadly, it was a pretty true statement. It wasn't like Cedric was a bad wizard, but he just lacked… motivation. The fighting spirit. Sure he had done alright in the Triwizard Tournament, but this was different. And much more dangerous.

"Look, Lance has been lying low, and I'll be fine. It's not that far from Kings Cross, and just a couple Underground stops from Diagon Alley. We'll be fine."

It was a weak argument, yes, but there was no way she was changing my mind.

"Fine. But I still don't agree with it."

"You never had to."

"You're a stubborn git."

"So are you."

We both smiled a bit, and I continued packing.

I haven't realized until now how spread out my things were. We had to sort out my cloths from hers, and a good majority of my books were found under her furniture. Fiona was coaxed back into her cage ("Just for a bit, sweetheart.") and my trunk was packed full.

"You'd think I was going back to Hogwarts," I chuckled. It was nearly noon before everything was ready to go and we Apparated to the alley outside Cedric's flat building. Cedric was standing at the main door, waiting for us.

"Finally! The Muggles are Confunded, so let's hurry up," he urged, taking my trunk and ushering us inside and into the first door on the left. We walked down the long hallway, muffled sounds of family activities going on behind closed doors. A door appeared in the wall as Cedric lead us to the end of the hall, and we slid inside.

The flat was in a start of contained mess. There were several half-opened boxes on the floor, but other than that, the flat was empty. The three of us sort of stood there awkwardly until Sarlanda said, "Well, I'll leave you two to it, then." And with a light swish, she was gone.

"And so, here we are… just standing in a flat… awkwardly," I commented, staring at the boxes.

"Yeup. Do you mind helping me get unpacked?" he asked, breaking the awkwardness.

"Sure, not at all," I beamed, and we started emptying boxes. I immediately went for the one labeled, "Furniture."

"Careful with that, it's got shrunken furniture," Cedric warned as he pulled a stack of books out of his own box.

"Really?" I asked, amused. I reached inside and pulled out Cedric's bed, tiny enough to fit a rag doll. "It's so cute!" I exclaimed, laughing. Cedric raised his eyebrows at me, and then we were both laughing.

We got the entire flat set up in just a few hours. It was night now, near dinner time. I was sitting on the couch reading a Muggle novel and thinking about what I should cook for us to eat when I smelt something burning. I jumped up and pulled out my wand, running for the course of the smell. I sprung into the kitchen only to find Cedric fighting a flaming pot of pasta.

"Aguamenti!" I said, extinguishing the flaming pot. Cedric panted a little and set the pot on the counted.

"Thanks Jen."

"What were you _doing?_" I asked, lowering my wand. Now only if my heart rate would go down as fast.

"Um, trying to make dinner…" he said, flustered. I shook my head and looked into the pot to see black, crispy noodles.

"Honestly Cedric, don't you know anything about cooking? Here, I'll do it…" Cedric merely sat down at the kitchen table while I started all over.

I was starving by the time everything was ready. I set our food down and began wolfing down steaming pasta and meaty sauce. "Damn Jen, you'd think you never get fed," Cedric chuckled, twirling some pasta on his fork.

"I haven't been properly fed once since I left school," I said, going for seconds. "We'll need to do shopping tomorrow, I don't want to live off minimalist Italian for the rest of my time here."

"Yes ma'am," he said, grinning. I shook my head and kept eating.

We finished and Cedric took my plate. "You cooked, I'll clean," he offered, and I smiled.

"Sounds like a plan." I headed for the bathroom and changed into my tank top and pajama pants. I was so ready for bed. Exhaustion seemed to have finally caught up with me.

I was pulling my blanket out of my backpack when Cedric came in. "Oh no, you're not sleeping on the couch."

"Well, it's this or the floor," I said, throwing myself down on it.

"Nope, you're taking the bed," he insisted, picking me up.

"Then where're you gonna sleep?"

"With you."

My face felt hotter and redder than it had ever been in my life. "Um, I—erm," I sputtered.

He rolled his eyes. "Honestly Jennifer, mind out the gutter. I'm a gentleman, remember?" he said, setting me down in the one and only bedroom. "I'll be back." Then he winked and left.

I sighed and sat on the floor, hugging my knees. Misinterpreting things, freaking out at smoke in the _kitchen_, making idiot decisions… the stress was getting to me too. How could I have thought that? Cedric wasn't like that. I needed to get my head straight if I was going to figure our Lance's motives.

Cedric walked back in, yawning. He was sporting sweat pants and a black shirt, and gave me an odd look. "You okay Jen?"

I looked up and smiled. "Sorry, just stressed."

"Well, maybe sleep will help."

I crawled into the bed and he shut off the lights. He got under the covers and pulled me close.

"Goodnight, Jen."

"Goodnight, Cedric."

An extremely bright light filled the room, waking us up at some time in the middle of the night. Kingsley's lynx stood there, and his deep voice spoke from it. "Jennifer, Cedric, we need you at the coast now. Death Eaters are attacking, and they have Giants."

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**Holy Fizzing Whizbees it's an update :D**

**If you got the subtle AVPM referance, 10 points to you ::tehe:**

**My thanks go out to Katie on Mibba, who is my beta, and to DaniPotter and Leanora, because they're epic and reviewed xD Love you guys!**

**Reviews?**

**~Icamane**


	3. Giants

"What?" I asked groggily. "Where?"

"Death Eaters, they're in West Country with giants, we need you there now." The Patronus dissipated, and it took us a moment before we scrambled out of bed and for the lights and our cloths. I ran into the living room, stripping, and pulled on my holey jeans, a ratty tee shirt, and my cloak. I grabbed my wand and Cedric grabbed me, turning on the spot.

The sensation of being squeezed by darkness ended when we nearly got blown over by hurricane force winds. Cedric turned again and we found ourselves a ways away, and a giant foot stepped down where we had been.

"Glad you could join the battle!" screamed Ophilia as she and Sarlanda ran up to us, Sarlanda sending a Stunning Spell into the windy chaos.

"Anytime!" I shouted back, following them through the rain. The giant who had tried to smash Cedric and I was now trying to take out a Muggle beach house. How the hell were we supposed to stop a _giant?_

A light flickered on inside the house, and there was a lot of screaming. There were people inside.

"Distract the giant!" I hollered at Sarlanda, and I sprinted through the storm towards the house. '_Death Eaters must have cast one strong Atmospheric Charm,_' I thought, running up to the door and trying the handle. Locked. "Reducto!" I yelled, blowing apart the door. I really didn't have time for these idiotic barriers.

There was a crashing noise, more screaming, and lots of flashes of light that I knew were curses. Wind was now shipping through the house. "Hello?" I screamed, protecting my eyes with my spare hand. "_Hello?_"

"HELP!" a woman screamed and I headed for the voice. I deflected some flying debris with a Shield Charm and ducked into a bedroom. There was a family of four huddled next to the bed, the two young children in tears. They all gave a good start when they saw me.

"Don't worry! I'm here to help you! We need to get out!" I yelled.

CRASH

The window exploded open, and in stepped a Death Eater, from the looks of it once of the Lestrange brothers. "Stupify!" I yelled, but he just deflected it.

"Potter. Why do you defend these Muggles?" he asked snidely, showing off his horrid teeth.

"Because you have no right in terrorizing them!" I screamed back, and we engaged in a duel. "Out!" I yelled at the Muggle family. "Get out now!"

Lestrange blew the bed to pieces, and they scrambled to their feet. I swept them out of the room with a Locomotor spell. He sent glass shards flying at me. I dodged most of them, but I felt a few slice my cheek open.

"Flipendo!" I yelled, and Lestrange was blasted back out the window.

There was a sound like thunder, the ground shook, and then in a flash of light, I was the bottom of a fleshy, filthy giant foot heading for the house. My heart momentarily stopped, but I ran back out to the Muggles. "Get out!" I yelled, urging them towards the door. The father stood in front of his family, a man in his probably late thirties.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice extremely shaky. I didn't blame him.

"I'm here to save you, now follow me out of here!" I said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out the front door.

And not a moment too soon. The moment the mother holding her smallest cleared the front door, the giant's foot came down and smashed the house to pieces. They were sent flying, and I turned around to help them.

"Come on! You need to get to safety," I told the woman, gripping her upper arm and yanking her to her feet. She was crying now too, and I made her run with me.

'_Safety… safety… where the hell can I keep them safe?_' I asked myself, casting Shield Charms. They would hold unless someone cast an Unforgivable Curse at us. We ran by a ripped out tree, and I skidded to a halt. The hold where the tree roots had been would fit them. "In here!" I yelled, and they clambered into the hole. I pointed my wand at the tree and concentrated. My first and second tries both failed, but my third attempt ended in the tree being transfigured into a door that sort of looked like the ground around it. "Don't open it until the—uh—storm's over," I told the father.

"Thank you," he said, and I nodded and shut the door.

I looked back around, trying to find the battle. There were a lot of flashes of light, and I caught sight of Ophilia's purple hair. The Order was trying to take out the remaining giant. They were all shooting spells at it, and the giant was holding a small boulder over its head. I started running for them. I was yards away when the giant threw the boulder and it caught Ophilia. I could hear her scream even through the storm.

"OPHILIA, NO! _Conjunctivus!_" My curse hit the giant in the face, and it began blubbering around, holding its eyes and smashing more buildings. I started for Ophilia, but Cedric got there first.

"You go fight, Jen! I'll watch after her!" he yelled, and I joined back in the fight with Sarlanda.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, sending another Conjuctivitus Curse at the giant.

"We need to get it into the ocean!" yelled Remus on my other side.

"Ice," muttered Sarlanda, pointing her wand up at the incoming rain. "Glacius!"

The rain began turning into ice shards and started pelting itself and the giant. The other four of us joined in, and the giant began stumbling backwards and into the ocean. With one final push, it toppled over into the water, soaking us all to the bone.

Kingsley and Remus stopped the storm. "Where're the Death Eaters?" I asked, taking in the damage. Lots of buildings were smashed, and even more were damaged.

"They left after you took off into the Muggle house. Where's Ophilia?" Sarlanda asked.

_Ophilia._

I looked around, panicked. Then I saw her lying on the ground, limp and muddy. Cedric was kneeling next to her, expression grim. We ran over to him. "Cedric, is Ophilia okay?" I asked, fearing the worst. '_She can't be dead, she can't be dead…_'

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**Now THAT... that was a real cliffhanger xD**

**Alright, so, just letting you guys know this will be the last update before I start school again, so after Monday there might be a little bit longer wait D: But just stick with it please! **

**Love,  
~Icamane**


	4. Flourish and Blotts

"Jen, you're breathing funny," Cedric said, frowning at me. I shivered and gasped for air. My asthma was starting to kick in.

Sarlanda's want tapped my throat as she muttered, "Anapneo." Air rushed into my lungs and I almost recovered.

"Thanks. Now, focus on _Ophilia_ please, _not_ me!"

"She's alive, but knocked out," said Cedric. "And I'm no medic, but her leg's definitely broken. The boulder mostly caught her in the leg, which I guess was lucky."

"I'll take her to St. Mungo's," said Sarlanda grimly, levitating Ophilia. "I'm the one who dragged her out here anyways." With a swish, they were gone.

Kingsley walked back over to Tonks, Lupin, Cedric and I. "That was Arthur. The Ministry is sending Obliviators, and Tonks, you and I are wanted back with the Aurors. There's been another death."

"What? Who?" Tonks asked, eyes wide.

"Emeline Vance. Looks like this was a distraction," Kingsley said, his face in composure, but his teeth gritted. Tonks merely closed her mouth and nodded. They both turned and disapparated.

Now Lupin looked at us. "Look, I woke Launa up when I left, and I need to go let her know I'm alright—"

"We'll wait for the Ministry, Lupin. Go home," said Cedric firmly. Lupin offered him a weak smile before disapparating as well.

"Who are you?"

The soft voice made me jump. I spun around to see the Muggle family, all looking filthy and ruffled, but generally alright. The questioner had been the mother. I shook my head and chuckled. "You'd never believe me even if I could tell you."

The older of the two children, the girl, walked up to me. I knelt so she could see me. Her blue eyes were solemn as she handed me a tiny, slightly crushed, white flower.

"Thank you for saving us, pretty lady," she said shyly. I lightly grasped the flower in one hand and patted her shoulder with the other.

"My pleasure, sweetheart."

The Obliviators started arriving, and Cedric went to talk to them. I caught snatched of the conversation. "…most were empty, but we've got a dozen Muggles wounded and three dead…"

I straitened up as an Obliviator came over to us. "Alright, you're going to need to talk to this man here. Don't worry, he's a good guy," I reassured them. I took Cedric's arm, and we were back in the flat.

We didn't say anything, but Cedric went for his bedroom. I changed back into my pajamas, and dug out my small bad I had for important things. I placed the flower inside it, along with my Order of the Phoenix photo, a picture of Ophilia, Sarlanda and I in our second year, a letter form Sirius, and my ring from—

"Jennifer? Can you help me a minute?"

Cedric's voice ripped me out of my nostalgia. I packed up the bag and went back to the bedroom. Cedric had his back to me, shirt off. "Do you think you can patch up my back?" he asked, throwing me a pack of bandages. There were lots of slightly-bleeding cuts all over his back.

"What happened?" I asked, starting to patch him up.

"Rocks and I think glass shards," he grunted.

"Geeze, I only got some glass to the face."

"Lucky."

He turned around and I gasped rather loud. "What?" he asked.

"You didn't tell me they were this bad!" I hissed back, slapping his shoulder. My other hand traced lightly down his chest. The scars from two summers ago and Voldemort were long and not at all clean. The two scars made a sort of awkward sideways V.

"Come off it, Jen, they used to be a lot worse."

"_Worse?_" I hit him again, and I only ended up in a tight hug. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" I sobbed. I had been crying a lot lately, and by a lot I mean about once every two weeks. I had cried more in the past six months than I think I had in the past couple of years.

"Because I figured you'd over-react, which I guess was an accurate guess," Cedric chuckled.

"I just feel so… guilty," I finally said, my voice slightly muffled from his shoulder.

"Why?" he asked, running his fingers through my ragged hair.

"Because it's my fault you got cut up in the first place."

He laughed. He never could take me seriously. "How do you figure that one? I'd rather be scarred than dead, personally." That defeated my poor logic, and we were silent for a few more moments. "Well, we'd best get back to sleep, we need to be up in a couple of hours," Cedric reasoned. I nodded and we shut the lights out, flopped down on the bed again, and were asleep in moments.

Cedric woke me up the next morning when he was getting ready to leave for work.

"You wa' breakfast?" I asked groggily as he threw on dark blue robes over his Muggle cloths. He brushed my bangs away and kissed my forehead.

"No, I found some cereal. Besides, you need to shower, and don't forget to go to Flourish and Blotts."

"What are you, my personal assistant?" I asked, yawning.

"No, I'm the one who gets your lazy arse in gear," he responded, and kissed me again. "See you tonight."

"Yeah, bye!"

He left, and I closed my eyes again. I hated mornings.

After a few moments, I crawled out of bed and into a shower. I finished off the hot water about a minute into it, so I was treated to frigid water thereafter. I dressed in my best clothes (I couldn't be walking around the Muggles in robes) and made sure my hair would be tame today. I ate the rest of the cereal and milk, making a mental note to myself to get groceries at some point in the day, and I headed off to Diagon Alley.

The grey clouds were thick overhead like they had been the past couple of weeks as I walked the streets of London. Inside my bundle of robes I carried in my arms was my wand, and I kept a tight grip on it. I wasn't going to take any chances. I took the Underground over to the Leaky Cauldron and entered the nearly empty pub. Tom looked up when I walked in, looking dismal.

"Hello Miss Potter," he said, trying to sound cheery.

"Hello Tom, can I get a Butterbeer to go please?" I asked. He nodded and pulled out a slightly dusty bottle from under the bar. I slid him some silver and left with my Butterbeer for the back alley. I popped open the Butterbeer and took a sip. It had been too long since I had tasted its buttery warmth. And it reminded me painfully of Hogwarts, just like the opening in the brick wall in front of me did. I slipped on my dark grey robes and walked into Diagon Alley.

It seemed as if they sky was darker just over the Wizarding alley. People moved in packs, making eye contact with no one but their friends and speaking only in whispers. They avoided me as I walked down the cobblestone street solo, my wand hand now around my wand handle in my robe pocket. The dark street and several empty shops were giving me the creeps.

At last I stopped outside Flourish and Blotts. It looked more life-filled than Olivander's across the street, but it was still pretty much empty. Two witched walked out clutching their books tightly, and gave me curious looks. I caught the door and walked in.

"Hello?" I asked, closing the door behind me. No one answered. "Hello?" I said again, louder this time, and moved further back into the shop. A book dropped from somewhere, and I jumped when a man in green robes appeared from behind a bookcase.

"Oh, goodness you—well, I thought you were—" He shook his head and bent down to pick up the fallen book.

"Are you Mr. Flourish?" I asked. He looked back up at me and sighed.

"Blotts. And why, can I help you?"

"Yeah, you had an ad posted in the Prophet about a job opening."

Mr. Blotts' face flashed a mixture of surprise and fear. "Oh, that. Well, I meant to—I mean, you don't think that—"

"So is there a job opening or not?" I asked, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow. Blotts shuffled over to behind his counter, flustered.

"Well, there um—I mean, I wasn't expecting—"

"Expecting a kid? Look, I'm not a kid, and do you even know who I am?" He gave me a blank look, and I sighed in annoyance. "Oh honestly, I never thought I would see this day… I'm _Jennifer Potter_, you know, as in _Harry Potter's older sister?_ You know him right, the Boy Who Lived? The one who killed Voldemort?"

At the mention of that name, Blotts twitched and made an odd choking noise. "Don't you know not to say that name?" he hissed. "And anyways, you can't be—no, it's preposterous—"

I sighed again. "Alright, fine. It's obvious I'm wasting my time, so I'll just—"

CRASH.

My wand was out and I whipped around to the crash out of the street. There was smoke pouring out of the shattered window of Olivander's, and there were black cloaked figures swarming the street. Two figures in masks were gripping a silver-haired man between them and dragged him into the street. Death Eaters.

"Mr. Olivander!" I yelled, running out to try and meet them, but they Disapparated.

Out on the street, I was hit with a wave of cold. "Dementors," I muttered, trying to concentrate before they swarmed me. I recalled that top-of-the-world feeling I had when the Marauders had first declared war on Umbridge last year, and waved my wand. "Expecto Patronum!" And with a snarl, my lion pounced on the nearest Dementor.

In a few minutes, the alley was cleared, and I was panting. The Dementors and Death Eaters were gone, but so was Olivander, and his shop was a complete broken mess. A bell tinkled, and I turned around to see Mr. Blotts coming out of his shop, face white.

"Miss Potter, is it?" he finally asked. I merely nodded, trying still to catch my breath. "Right well—what I mean is—you're hired."

* * *

**Relieved? xD**

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**~Icamane**


	5. A Black Will

_Dear Jennifer,_

_I have some unfinished business that needs to be attended to. However, I will need not only your assistance, but Harry and Hyden's as well. I'll be over at five to eleven on this Friday to pick you up. I will explain more when the three of you are together._

_Please return your owl before Friday._

_Most sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

I read this letter over again for probably the billionth time as I paced the living room of the flat. I had gotten it on Monday, just two days after I had started at Flourish and Blotts. I had sent an owl back ASAP, and now it was Friday night, 10:47 exactly, and Dumbledore's arrival couldn't have seemed to come slower.

This week had had a sort of rhythm to it. I worked most of it, except for Wednesday, when I had my Apparation test. I had passed with flying colours, and when I Apparated back to the flat, it was a wonderful feeling. I had been patrolling every other night like I was supposed to, and I kept watch over Diagon Alley every day, and had only fought a total of six Dementors, not counting the ones from last Saturday.

But the thought of finally getting to see Harry had given me a boots. It was so weird being without him. Since graduation, I hadn't seen him once, and I'd only had one letter from him. Gosh, it was almost his birthday, too.

DING

I literally jumped out of my thoughts and ran to the door. In stepped Dumbledore, long silver beard and purple boots swishing. Following him was Hyden, his getting-long black hair messy and a slight smile on his lips, but his brown eyes were full of pain still.

"Good evening, Jennifer," said Dumbledore, smiling slightly as he glanced around the room. My face heated up as I realized how messy everything was. I really should have cleaned instead of paced.

"Hello, sir," I said uncomfortably. "Are we going to go get Harry?" I asked, busying myself with my cloak.

"Yes. We'll need to Apparated a little up the street into the grove of trees so we won't be seen."

I nodded. "Alright, I'll see you there then." With a nod and a small pop, Dumbledore and Hyden were gone. I closed my eyes, picturing the shrubs that Dumbledore had mentioned, and turned on the spot.

The sensation of being in a super tight tube made me unable to breathe for a moment, and then it was over. When I opened my eyes, I was standing in the bushes on an all too-familiar street. Dumbledore lead us down the street towards Number Four. I tapped Hyden on the shoulder to get his attention.

"You been doing okay?" I asked, concerned. I never truly knew how that kid felt because, well, he hardly ever told anyone.

He sighed. "Well, better, I guess. I've been working on more music, so I guess that's been helping a bit, but still…" He shut his eyes, and I squeezed his shoulder.

"Yeah… the giants, Madame Bones, Olivander, the bridge… Emeline Vance…" My voice trailed away as we stood on my aunt and uncle's doorstep. Then Dumbledore raised his hand and pushed the doorbell.

"Who in blazes is calling in this time of night?" I heard Uncle Vernon shout, and I sort of panicked and laughed all at the same time. Had Harry not told him we would be coming?

The door opened and there stood my uncle in all his great-mustached glory. The look of shock on his face was priceless. I almost started laughing out loud.

"Good evening. You must be Mr. Dursley. I daresay Harry has told you we would be coming for him?" Dumbledore said politely. Uncle Vernon just gaped at us. I guess he never thought that in all his life, he would see three wizards on his doorstep at bedtime. Hyden shot me a sideways look of horror that clearly said, "_This is your uncle?_" I nodded and rolled my eyes.

"Judging by your look of disbelief, Harry did _not_ warn you that we were coming." Dumbledore's tone was as pleasant as ever. I wish I had that sort of control. "However, let us assume that you have invited us into your house. It does not do to linger over the doorstep these days." And he stepped right in past Uncle Vernon. Hyden and I followed suit. Judging from the look on his face, I think Uncle Vernon might have tried to strangle me had I been alone. I was certainly one of the last people he ever wanted back in his house, and the feeling was mutual.

"Ah, good evening, Harry," Dumbledore said, and we looked up to see Harry standing on the stairs, trying hard not to grin. He jumped down the stairs while I nimbly wove around Uncle Vernon, and we met in a tight hug.

"Well, you aren't completely malnourished yet," I commented, my face almost hurting from smiling so wide.

"Yeah, I'm actually better looking than you," Harry joked. I snorted and ruffled his hair as Uncle Vernon slid away to confront Dumbledore, who had wandered off into the living room. We could hear him greeting Aunt Petunia and Dudley.

"Shall we assume that you have invited me into your sitting room?" he asked, and Harry, Hyden, Uncle Vernon and I all sort of filing into the living room, Hyden and I collapsing in arm chairs almost immediately.

"But sir, don't we have to leave?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but first we have business to discuss that I rather wouldn't talk about in the open." With a few flicks of his wand, Dumbledore had a couch scoop up the Dursleys and conjured drinks for everyone. Harry, Hyden, and I all began to drink ours thankfully, while the Dursleys ignored theirs.

"Now, to business. First, you must all know that Sirius's will was discovered a week ago. He has devised everything fairly evenly between you three."

"Their godfather's dead?" Uncle Vernon asked rudely, a slight hint of hope in his voice. We all ignored him.

"This is fairly straight-foreword," Dumbledore continued. "The three of you now one the house, which will be our first order of business."

"The Order can keep using it," Harry said. "I don't think any of us really have a need for it." Hyden and I nodded in agreement. No one really wanted to go back to Number Twelve, Grimauld Place.

"This is very generous of you, but we've vacated the building until we can make sure that the building did indeed get passed into your possessions and no to Bellatrix Lestrange."

All three of us tensed up, and Harry actually jumped to his feet. "NO!"

Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "Fortunately, there is a simple test, because we would prefer you three to own the house."

He waved his wand again, and with a crack, there appeared Kreature, who looked absolutely mad and screamed, "Kreature won't, Kreature won't!"

"As you can see," Dumbledore half-yelled over Kreature's wails, "he's not to excited about the change in ownership, but if he does indeed belong to you three, then he should obey any of your commands."

Dumbledore waited for one of us to say something, but Harry and Hyden merely looked disgusted. So I took the initiative.

"Kreature, _shut up_," was the first thing I could think of, and although he nearly strangled himself and he threw himself down on the carpet in a fit, Kreature obeyed.

"Well, that takes care of that," said Dumbledore, upbeat. "Might I suggest sending him to work in the kitchens? Dobby could look after him then."

"Good idea," said Hyden, nodding. "Kreature, go work in the Hogwarts kitchens with Dobby." With a glare and a crack, Kreature was gone.

"Well, that was… interesting," I mumbled, still slightly tense.

"Also, there is the matter of Buckbeak the Hippogriff," Dumbledore said as though there had not just been a screaming house elf in the room. "He has been left to you, Jennifer, but he is currently at Hagrid's."

"He should stay with Hagrid, I have no way of taking care of him," I said, a bit gloomy.

"Hagrid will be delighted. Also, we have re-christened him 'Witherwings,' lest the Ministry suspect he was, shall we say, the one who got away." I snorted at that. I would be surprised indeed in the Ministry was smart enough to work out that Buckbeak was once on death row.

"Now, we come to the part of the will where things get split up," said Dumbledore. "As I've said, Jennifer, Sirius left you Buckbeak. But he also left you his flying motorcycle." The sudden image of myself riding that ridiculously huge motorcycle almost made me laugh again.

"Alright, but hasn't Hagrid been using it?"

"Sometimes. It is at the Weasley's house for whenever you with to pick it up." He now shifted his gaze to Hyden. "Hyden, your father has left you the soul benefactor to his vault at Gringotts and all of its contents."

Hyden's jaw dropped a bit. "That's a lot of gold," he finally admitted a little shakily.

"Indeed it is. And you, Harry." Now Dumbledore was looking right at Harry. "Sirius has left you every possession in the house." Harry kind of nodded awkwardly.

"Speaking of possessions, are you all packed?"

Harry turned a bit pink. "I'll just go finish up," he muttered, standing.

"I'll go help," I said, jumping up as well. Hyden followed us silently out of the living room and up the stairs.

"And I told myself I'd never come back… didn't last very long, did it?" I chuckled.

"No, it really didn't," Harry agreed, and we all filed into, well, not it was just his room.

As usual, it was a complete mess. I could tell he had been frantically trying to pack before we had arrived. He started throwing his spellbooks into his trunk, and Hyden helped. I pulled out my wand and began folding and stalking his cloths and robes. We worked silently and in a few minutes, the room was clean and Harry was packed.

"Thanks," Harry said a bit weakly, closing the trunk on his Invisibility Cloak.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you can successfully keep the room a mess without me," I joked. Then Hyden grabbed Hedwig's empty cage, Harry and I picked up his trunk, and we clunked back down the stairs.

Dumbledore was waiting, but there was no sign or sound of the Dursleys. They were probably in the living room, waiting for us to leave before they began frantically packing so Dumbledore could never find them again. "You will need your wand and your cloak," Dumbledore instructed. Harry kicked open the trunk and extracted these things. I looked around Number Four for what I hoped would be the last time. I had always hated how clean and neat and "perfect" everything had always been, and was glad I would be leaving hopefully for forever. Dumbledore waved his wand, and the trunk and cage vanished. "They will be waiting for you at the Burrow."

Now Dumbledore offered his arm out to Harry. "Jennifer, I must ask you and Hyden to side-along Apparate with us."

"Where are we going, sir?" Hyden asked.

"To go see an old friend of mine."

We all hooked arms, and with a spin and a pop, Number Four, Privet Drive disappeared.

* * *

**Hey, I'm back.**

**I had a November hiatus for NaNoWriMo, and then a December hiatus from NaNo crashing. I could hardley write anything. But now I'm back with an update schedule for January. See my profile for details.**

**Reviews are loved!**

**~Icamane**


	6. Slughorn

We found ourselves on a street I didn't recognize. We started following Dumbledore down the sidewalk.

"Sir, why do you need us to go see an old friend of yours?" Harry asked.

"I am trying to persuade him to come and teach at Hogwarts once more, and I think you three might change his opinion."

Harry, Hyden and I all exchanged glances of confusion. What in the world was Dumbledore on about?

"Ah, here we are." We all stopped outside a house – it was ransacked. "Oh dear. What happened here?" Dumbledore asked himself. We all drew our wands and proceeded through the broken front door.

The inside was absolutely trashed. All the furniture was torn apart save one armchair. Glass, splintered wood, and feathers were strewn across the floor. Blood dripped down from the ceiling into a small puddle. Everyone but Dumbledore pulled the collar of their shirts over their nose. "Ugh, it smells disgusting," I mumbled.

"Yes," Dumbledore said a bit absentmindedly. "Alright Horace, you can come out. I know you're here."

"Oh, blast it all Dumbledore," grumbled a rough voice, and before any of us could believe it, the untouched armchair turned into a short, portly man who was almost completely bald. "How did you know?"

"Dragon blood, Horace," Dumbledore said, pointed to the blood on the ceiling. "And if the Death Eaters had come knocking, they would have left the Dark Mark over the house."

"Of course, of course… I knew I forgot something. Well, let us clean up then," Horace said, and he and Dumbledore began waving their wands. Everything began to right and fix itself, and the blood disappeared. "And that was my last bottle as well…" He now began surveying Harry, Hyden and I. He frowned curiously as he looked at me, but his mouth went into an O when he saw the scar on Harry's forehead.

"Horace, this is Harry and Jennifer Potter and Hyden Black. Harry and Hyden are going to start their sixth year and Jennifer just graduated. And for the rest of you, this is Horace Slughorn," Dumbledore said kindly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to use the loo."

"Yes, yes, third door on the right," Slughorn said, waving Dumbledore down the hallway, not once taking his eyes off of Harry's scar. Dumbledore sent us a small smile before leaving us with Slughorn and his slightly creepy stare.

"Well, well, Harry Potter, is it?" Slughorn asked as soon as he was confident Dumbledore was out of earshot.

"Yes, sir," Harry answered, unsure.

"You look quite like your father. I taught him at Hogwarts, you know, him and your mother. You even have your mother's—"

"Eyes. I know," Harry said, a slight bit irritated.

"And you, Jennifer," Slughorn said, now turning to face me again, "you look just like Lily. Just like her…" His voice trailed away.

"But I've got my dad's eyes," I finished for him. He just nodded. When he seemed to come back to earth, he looked at Hyden.

"And you must be Sirius Black's boy. I never had him in my House; I had his younger brother, Regulus, but I would have liked the set…" He glanced at a group of photographs on a trunk. "It was such a tragedy to hear of his death a few weeks ago."

Hyden stared at the dark green carpet, wordless and motionless.

"Ah, yes, well," Slughorn continued. "My answer is still no."

"No to what?" I asked.

"To teaching again. I won't do it. I'm not coming out of retirement, not even for Dumbledore."

"Why not?" Harry asked, curious now.

"I haven't taught in over forty years."

That didn't seem like a very good excuse. "So?" Hyden asked. When Slughorn didn't respond, he posed a new question. "Why did you destroy the house when we got here?"

"I thought you were… someone else."

"Death Eaters?" I offered.

He frowned at me, but then sighed, "Yes. They've been trying to… erm, _contact_ me for almost a year now."

"Why do they want you on their side?"

"I don't know."

"Well," Harry said slowly after a moment, "you do know that Hogwarts is the safest place to be, especially if Voldemort is after you."

"Don't say that name!" Slughorn hissed, shivering.

"But it's true," I chimed in.

"Yes," Slughorn said quietly, shiftily. "Yes it is."

"So, what—"

"Forgive me for taking so long, but I do love knitting patterns." Dumbledore had re-entered the room, holding up a Muggle magazine. "Do you mind if I—?"

"Not at all, not at all," said Slughorn, a bit irritably. Harry, Hyden and I glanced at each other, all frowning slightly. Slughorn was so obviously hiding something, but as to what and why, we were all lost.

"Well, I think I've let these children pester you long enough. And since there's no changing your mind, we'll be on our way now," said Dumbledore, starting to usher us out.

"Oh," said Slughorn, clearly disappointed. "Oh, alright."

"Goodnight, Horace."

"Goodnight, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore led us back out of the house. "Sir—" Harry started, but Dumbledore silenced him with a raised finger. We were halfway down the path to the street when we were stopped.

"Alright Dumbledore, I'll do it."

We all turned around to see Slughorn at the door, looking defeated and rather annoyed. "But I want a raise! And Merrithought's old office, not that water closet I had before!"

Dumbledore smiled. "As you wish, Horace. I'll see you when term starts."

Then we started back for the same spot we had originally Apparated to. "Sir, um, do you mind me asking again—"

"Why I brought you three along?" Dumbledore finished.

"Yeah."

"As I said before, I needed a way to convince him to take up his old post at Hogwarts. Horace is a collector of sorts, and I'm sure that he would add yourself and Hyden to his collection."

"His collection?" I asked, frowning. I had the mental image of Slughorn stuffing Harry and Hyden into bottles and sticking them on a shelf.

"Yes. Horace likes to collect the famous and talented around him. He helps them reach their full potential, and in turn, they can provide him with comforts and connections. If he had decided not to come back, he would have missed the ultimate opportunity—The Boy Who Lived, along with Sirius Black's son and whomever else he finds to be worthy. And you, Jennifer, are the daughter of his favorite student, Lily Potter, and could provide some extra persuasion, seeing as he missed teaching you."

"Weird," Hyden muttered. I nodded in agreement.

"So where are we off to next?" I asked.

"I'm taking Harry and Hyden to the Weasleys, and I'll need to have a quick word with you in turn, Jennifer and Harry."

"Alright."

We all hooked arms and turned on the spot. When the squeezing sensation stopped, we found ourselves near the Weasleys apple grove that served as a small Quidditch pitch in the summer.

"Your trunks are inside," Dumbledore said, and Harry and Hyden left for the Burrow. Dumbledore waited for a moment before he spoke again. "Jennifer, I must ask that, when term starts, in addition to your other duties that you be part of a group helping to keep Hogwarts secure."

"Okay," I said slowly. "Why me?"

"You have a good relationship with many of the students—they'll listen to you. You're a fine witch, and you're one of the few who are available for the task. The Order is, as they say, stretched thin." Dumbledore looked up at the stars. "Soon, I fear, we will all have to learn to be like the stars—separated, but shining as brightly as we can."

I gave him a strange look. '_What the hell was that supposed to mean?_'

"Don't worry yourself with the troubles of an old man, Jennifer. You need to focus on your duties."

"If I may ask, sir… why does Hogwarts need extra protection? I thought it was the safest place in the world?"

"It is, Jennifer," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "But we can never be too careful, especially in these dark times."

I felt like there was something else he wasn't telling me, just like with Slughorn. What was it with older people not telling me anything? I'm an adult, right? But I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to press the matter.

Just then I noticed that Dumbledore was gone. I sighed, wishing he would have at least said goodbye, but he probably had other matters to attend to. In fact, he did, because didn't he say he needed to talk to Harry too?

The lights were on in the Burrow's kitchen. I considered walking down there and checking up on everyone, but I stopped myself. This really wasn't the time. Mrs. Weasley would be too concerned over Harry and Hyden, and she had a house full of people. And anyways, I had work tomorrow, and it was nearly midnight. I turned and Disapparated to the alleyway closest to my flat.


	7. Unexpected Detours

Cedric and I's N.E.W.T. results came just a few days after meeting Slughorn. My marks weren't bad, and proceeded as such:

History of Magic – O  
Charms – O  
Transfiguration – A  
Arithmancy – E  
Potions – E  
Herbology – O  
Care of Magical Creatures – E  
Defense Against the Dark Arts – O  
Astronomy – A

I had passed everything, which was excellent, considering I was expecting at best a D in Transfiguration. Cedric had all O's and E's, not an A or failing grade in sight. Git. Although I _had_ beaten him in History of Magic, so that counted for something.

Despite living together, even sharing the same bed, I hardly ever saw Cedric. He left me a note every morning, and I left him one every evening along with dinner. No matter what I told or taught him, he was still a miserable cook. But our schedules were just so crazy that we never got a moment to ourselves. We both worked in the day, and if one of us wasn't out on Dementor patrol at night, the other one was.

Something else bothering me was my dreams. They were, well… _normal_. Like how my dreams used to be before Lance developed his weird, "I'm going to break into your mind" antics. Not that I had a problem with getting decent sleep (when I _got_ sleep), but it was just… unsettling. And I had the sneaking suspicion that Lance was going to attempt to do… whatever it was he wanted to do. I didn't even know what he really wanted.

As summer wore on, I started seeing more and more Hogwarts students in Flourish and Blotts, stocking up on their school books. It was almost surreal, being on the other side of the counter after seven years of being just like all these other students. I got dirty looks from Mr. Blotts a number of times for stopping to chat with people I knew.

Then one day when term was only two weeks from starting, Molly brought all the kids who were at the Burrow plus some reinforcements to Diagon Alley. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Hyden, Launa and Ginny were all in the shop at once, trying to talk to me and find their books at the same time. I finally gave up and took their lists to find their books while they followed me around. Mr. Blotts eyed them warily, but of course he had nothing to worry about.

"Harry, Ron, here are your books," I said, handing them each a stack of heavy spellbooks. "Mr. Blotts will have to ring you up."

"Thanks Jen, I'll stop by again later," said Harry, and he and Ron went to pay.

Hermione's, of course, was the biggest stack of the lot. She and I both had to carry books up to the counter, and those were just her required books. Mr. Blotts' jaw dropped a little when she added at least four more books to the stack. "I need to spend my early birthday money on _something_," she told me when I raised my eyebrows.

Launa (accompanied by a still-gloomy Tonks) was the last one out of there. I found her, of course, in the Potions section, which I had organized only yesterday. She was flipping longingly through _Lackadaisey's Guide to the 13 Most Powerful Brews._

"I cannot get it," she told me sadly as she returned the book to it's proper place.

"Why not? Dad won't let you?"

"No." She ran her fingers absentmindedly down the lovely dark green cover. "We cannot afford it. We 'ave just enough to get my books for zis year."

'_Ouch,_' I winced in my mind. "What is it about this book?"

"It 'as a recipe for Felix Felicis, among ozer tings."

"Well, we can always dream, can't we?" She just nodded, and withdrew her hand. "Let's ring them up then."

Launa was right. Her dad had given her just enough to pay for her books. She left for the apothecary, her books under her arm and her dusty blonde hair glinting in the summer sun.

I went back and picked up the potions book, checking the price and then my pockets. Assuming I got my employee discount, I could get it and have a few Sickles to spare. I'd have to go to Gringotts after work.

"Well, it's never too early to start Christmas shopping," I said to myself, and went to go buy the book.

Harry did indeed stop back later in the day, looking extremely troubled. I frowned immediately and pulled him into the life-deprived Divination section.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a hushed voice. I glanced around, making sure Mr. Blotts wasn't around. "Talk fast."

"Jen, I think… I think Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater."

"What?"

"He—Well, in Madame Malkins, he freaked out when she touched his left robe sleeve."

"Harry—"

"_And—_" he pressed on, "he went into Knockturn Alley. I sort of, er, followed him. He went into that shop I accidentally popped into second year, Borgin and Burkes. He started harassing Borgin about fixing something, and then showed him something on his arm that really scared Borgin."

Harry looked at me anxiously. I sighed. "Harry, I dunno, I mean… maybe."

"Could you… look into it? Please?"

"Potter? I need you to find me four copies of _Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration,_" Mr. Blotts called from somewhere on the other side of the store.

"Coming Mr. Blotts! Harry, I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything," I continued at a lower volume. "Lance? That wasn't a big surprise. But Draco? I have a hard time believing Narcissa would allow it, let alone that he would have the guts to do it."

Harry looked frustrated, but he didn't say anything until I walked him to the door. "Will you send me an owl if you find anything?"

"Of course I will. And you'll probably be seeing me sooner than you think," I assured him, and he left.

The rest of the day, I was consumed with thoughts about Voldemort and Death Eaters and the Malfoys. Was Harry right, and Draco was now a Death Eater too? If so, why did Voldemort let him join up? And why hadn't there been any attacks lately? Not that that was bad, but it was like Voldemort was holding back, waiting for a bigger opportunity. And _that_ was bad.

I left the shop that night a little after nine and started walking to my flat, keeping a hand near my wand at all times. It seemed silly to Apparate, seeing as Diagon Alley wasn't _that_ far to my flat. But I was getting chills because there weren't many people out and it seemed that the street lights were dimmer than usual. I reconsidered Disapparating, but I didn't find anywhere I could duck into to do it.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I glanced behind me to see someone following me, and they were gaining. I picked up my pace, trying not to appear panicked. About a block later, I found the open door to a warehouse and slipped inside. The figure followed.

'_Alright, this is what I get for having a few weeks of peace,_' I thought grimly, hiding behind a huge wooden shipping crate. I concentrated on my flat and turned on the spot. Nothing happened. '_What the hell?_'

"Jeeeennifer?"

My stomach clenched and I didn't breathe for a moment. _Dammit_. I should have just bloody Apparated when I had the chance.

I heard the warehouse door rattle close. "Jennifer, you can't hide forever. The only way out is closed up," Lance's voice called, full of sick glee. I started moving as stealthily as I could away from his voice and drew my wand as I went.

"Boo."

I hadn't watched my back. I whipped around and saw Lance with his wand pointed at me.

"Stup—"

"Expelliarmus!"

My wand flew into his hand, and I turned and ran. I just wanted to get away.

"Locomotor Mortis!"

My legs snapped together and I fell to the floor. Miraculously, I wasn't bleeding—for once. But now I was completely screwed. I opened my mouth to scream, but Lance's hand clapped over it.

"Shh, shh, shh, it's not my plan to hurt you." He swished his wand, causing crates to come smashing down and thereby trapping us in. He uncovered my mouth and stepped back. "If you don't try anything, I'll take the curse off you."

"What the hell do you want?" I spat, trying to inch away from Lance. I got a good look at him in the light that was coming in through the small windows. He wore all black, both Muggle and Wizarding attire. His dark brown hair was tousled as always, but his eyes… they had some sort of new emotion in them.

"I want to talk," he said, pulling a small potion bottle from an inside pocket in his cloak.

"T-talk?" I was completely shocked. "You never want to just talk, Lance."

"Are you going to run?"

I thought it over. Running would be pretty pointless as long as he hand my wand, and besides, there wasn't anywhere to run _to_.

Suddenly, a dull pain started in my head. "No," I winced, putting a hand on my forehead.

"Good." Lance waved his wand and my legs unstuck from each other. "I have a proposition for you."

I stood shakily. "Proposition?"

"Yes. Now, listen to me." He unstoppered the potion and drank it.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Come now, didn't Snape teach you anything? It's Veritaserum."

"Okay? Why did you drink it?"

I could tell Lance was trying to contain irritation by the strain in his voice. "So you'll believe me."

'_That's a stupid reason,_' I thought. Like I would believe anything that came out of Lance's mouth.

"Jennifer, we both know that every day, the Dark Lord gains more and more strength. Harry may have defeated him before, but it was a fluke—he will not be able to do it again."

"You call what happened in the graveyard a _fluke?_" I asked angrily. And how _dare_ he talk about my brother like he'd shared afternoon tea with him!

"He hasn't defeated Lord Voldemort since the night your parents died—all he's done is escape and delay."

I was fuming now, and my breathing was ragged.

"_But,_" Lance continued, "this doesn't mean the Dark Lord can't be stopped."

"Yeah? What do you suggest, sending a tank after him?"

"No, Jennifer," Lance sighed, a bit exasperated. Apparently he wasn't in the mood for Muggle humor. Shame. "I can stop him."

"_You_… want to stop… _Voldemort?_" I asked slowly. This was completely absurd, even for Lance. Someone must have Imperiused him or this was a Polyjuice Potion imposter. I think the nonsensical-ness of everything was making my head slowly hurt worse and worse.

"But I need your help, Jennifer." Lance's expression was completely serious. There wasn't even a trace of that Malfoy smirk on his face.

"Me—wha… ?" I was at a complete loss for words.

"Think about it, Jennifer. I can provide you with money, security, and power. If you come with me, think of all the power you could obtain. You could lead the world. No one you cared about would ever die. You and I, we would destroy Lord Voldemort, and we would rule the wizarding world, side by side."

"I—no, Lance, you're crazy. Neither one of us has enough power to defeat _Lord Bloody Voldemort_."

"But together we do. I'm close to him, I can learn his weak—"

"_No one_ is close to him. And besides, why wouldn't you ask someone like Sarlanda? She's easily five times the better witch."

"No," Lance replied, shaking his head. He was being _so_ out of character. What the _hell_ was going on? "It has to be you. You have more power than you realize, and anyways, Sarlanda hates me."

"And I don't?" I asked irritably. My head felt like it was going to burst. Is this what Harry felt like when his scar was hurting?

But Lance didn't answer. He just looked pitifully at me.

"And why should I trust you?"

"You can't," he said simply. That was _definitely_ either the Veritaserum or the Lance-clone talking.

"Why me?" I burst out. I was itching to just strangle him for my wand at this point.

He stepped towards me. "Because I love you." He sort of lunged at me and pulled me into his arms. And then he kissed me.

I'd never been kissed by Lance like this before. Most the time, he would practically eat my face off, shove his tongue down my throat, feel me up, and try to kill me—all at once. But this time, he did no such things. It was, almost—curse me for this—pleasant. The moment our lips made contact, my headache went away, which was good, but it left me with this sort of floaty feeling which was… yet to be determined.

He made out with me for I don't know how long. I did end up kissing him back, which I didn't _want_ to do, but I let it happen. When we finally broke apart, panting, he whispered, "Think on it," in my ear, and I felt him more away from me. I heard a clatter and opened my eyes. Lance was gone, my wand was on the floor, the crates were all perfectly stacked again, and the warehouse door was open.

Like he had never even been there.

* * *

**I enjoy the large amount of confusion created in this chapter xD  
Thank you summer sun on Mibba for helping me edit this.**


	8. Torn

The moment I was sure Cedric was asleep I crept out of bed and into the living room. I sat on the couch, pulling my knees up to my chin. I rubbed at my forehead – another headache blooming.

It had been three days since the night at the warehouse. Three sleepless, painful days. I had a constant headache, didn't feel like eating, and every time I finally found sleep, night terrors found me. Lance was messing with me again.

Had it even happened, though? Everything had felt real, and I was back being to physically miserable just like last spring when he had decided to play games with me. But… he had been acting so _weird_. And why could he Apparate out of there and I couldn't? And when he left, everything was just how it was when I had entered the building. What was up with that?

With a yawn, I checked the clock – 12:09. I walked into the kitchen and started to make coffee. Okay, so there were only two options – either it had been real or some kind of hallucination. If there was some kind of third option here, then I wasn't clever enough to imagine it.

I poured coffee into my mug and went looking for some sugar. Say it had been fake. Had I just made it all up on my own? All of it, or just parts? Had Lance somehow used Legilimency and implanted it in my mind, like Voldemort had done to Harry just a few months ago? There were way too many questions.

I returned to the living room, sipping hot coffee as quickly as I could. And if everything in the warehouse had been real? Lance was crazy, absolutely _mental_ if he thought we could bring down Voldemort. Two people, practically still kids, fresh out of school, simply _couldn't_ defeat one of the most dangerous wizards of all time. But then again… weren't the hopes of the entire wizarding community riding on Harry's shoulders? Harry, who was barely sixteen, who, though he had defeated Voldemort numerous times, wasn't even out of school yet, my _younger brother_, was expected to save everyone. So why couldn't I be the one to stop Voldemort instead?

No, that was ridiculous. "_Neither can live while the other survives_," that's what the prophecy said. Harry had to be the one to kill Voldemort – no one else.

But what if it was true that Lance could help me get more powerful and protect everyone?

'_No, no, no,_' I told myself. '_I'm not going to give in to Lance's false temptations._' Whatever method Lance had used to get so strong last summer was bad news, and I didn't want any part of it. I slammed my empty coffee mug down on the coffee table. "I'm not going to be part of your game, Lance," I said harshly to the mug, as if everything was its fault. I decided to find a book to take my mind off things and let the caffeine wear off. I had never before wanted so badly to escape from reality to the pages of a book.

"Jennifer… Jennifer, wake up."

A hand gently shook my shoulder and lips kissed my forehead. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times and found Cedric leaning over me, our noses almost touching.

"You fell asleep on the couch again," he said, frowning slightly before I gave him a quick kiss.

"Sorry about that," I replied, glancing around. My mug was still on the table and the book I had been reading last night had tumbled onto the floor some time during my sleep.

"What were you doing?" he asked as I shuffled around so he could sit.

"I couldn't sleep, so I grabbed a book."

"You've been having nightmares again. Right?" I gave a bit of a start. His grey eyes were serious. "Right?"

"I… no." I locked eyes with him. "No. I've just been having trouble getting to sleep."

"You sure?"

I kept my face straight. "Yeah. I have a lot on my mind."

"Don't we all," he replied, smiling a bit. "But, no nightmares?"

"No unnatural ones, anyways."

He frowned again. "Alright, if you're sure."

"Yes," I promised him, kissing him once more. "What time is it?"

"Fifteen to eight."

I bolted up off the couch, running in to the kitchen to throw some bread in the toaster. Cedric yelled bye to me as he locked the front door and I ran to take a quick shower. I dressed, grabbed my wand, slathered some peanut butter on my toast and Disapparated for the Leaky Cauldron.

As usual, there weren't many people in the bar. I nodded to Tom as I ran to the back alley, stuffing my toast in my mouth. After tapping the appropriate brick with my wand, the ach appeared and I sprinted as fast as I could down Diagon Alley without tripping on the cobblestones. I was wheezing when I finally burst in to Flourish and Blotts.

"There you are," Mr. Blotts said, setting down a stack of books next to the shelf he was restocking. He started levitating them to their proper places, and his expression was one of both disapproval and relief. "I thought—I mean, I hoped for the best of course, but…"

"Nope, I'm fine," I gasped out, setting my hands on my shaking knees. "I just… slept in… that's all."

"Good, good," he muttered in response. "We have a new shipment in the back… if you please…"

So I nodded and headed to the back, finishing off my toast. We had several stacks of new books, some to replenish school books, others new arrivals. I sighed, found the record book and a quill, and started recording all the titles.

The day went by rather slowly. I wrote down books for nearly an hour and then put them away while Mr. Blotts helped customers. There weren't many people in except last minute school purchases and a few casual browsers. It still felt wrong not to be in here buying my school books.

"Slow day," I commented to Mr. Blotts as our latest customers (a family with two kids) left.

"It's been slow since—well, you know."

"Voldemort."

Mr. Blotts twitched. "Don't… yes. Since Fudge left office. People are… scared."

"I bet."

The door jingled open and Mr. Blotts went to help the customer while I tidied up the History section. I snuck around the bookshelf, still gripping a copy of _Gruesome Goblin Collisions_ to peer at the customers. There was a woman with white-blonde hair and a young man with dark brown hair. I frowned, and then the man turned around. It was Lance.

I snapped backwards and pressed myself against the bookshelf, clutching the thick volume to my chest and breathing hard. Dammit, dammit, _dammit_. How did he find me again?

I glanced back and frowned. This guy looked nothing like Lance—he even wore glasses. But… but seconds ago, that had been Lance's face. I shook my head. I was just seeing things. Shaking slightly, I shelved the book and started on the rest.

Several times before I left work, I thought I saw Lance. His face was everywhere—on book covers, customers' faces; in the walls, even. By the time we closed, I was hearing his voice in my head. I rushed out of the shop, frantic to get away.

'_Jennifer._'

I stumbled into a pair of elderly witches who shot me dirty looks and then they hustled on like they were scared.

'_Jennifer, just listen._'

I nearly fell into a huge cauldron, knocking my knees against it and ran on, my wand held tight in my hand.

'_Just listen!_'

I ran through the brick archway and into the Leaky Cauldron, slamming the palm of my hand into my forehead. "Get out of my head!" I all but yelled, startling the two people in the bar. I turned on the spot, Disapparating directly into the hallway outside my flat.

I screamed in pain. As I appeared outside my front door, I felt a searing pain in my arm and blood flowing down it. At the same time, the headache exploded and my brain felt like it was trying to break out of my skull. Words and conversation flooded my mind, making absolutely no sense. Half of it was in languages I didn't understand. I fumbled with the doorknob with my good hand, finding it locked as it should be. I couldn't hear anything and my vision was swimming. I gripped my bleeding, Splinched arm and rammed my good shoulder into my door frantically.

The second time I went to ram the door, my shoulder now aching, it flew open just as I made contact with it, smashing both myself and the door into Cedric's face. We toppled over onto the carpet, my blood getting on it, Cedric, and my robes.

"Jennifer!" Cedric wheezed as I rolled off of him, clutching at my head with a bloody hand as the voices turned angry and grew much louder. "You're… bleeding!"

"_Make it stop!_" I screamed. Cedric scrambled to his feet, yelling things I couldn't understand—his voice was blending with all the other ones, and it just made my head hurt worse. He reached down to me, pressing on the Splinch wound. I squeezed my eyes shut from the pain of everything.

"Dittany," I groaned, lights and shapes bouncing and blinking in my vision. I could hardly hear myself over the roar in my head. I felt Cedric's hand leave my arm. "No, no, don't leave me…"

'_I won't be leaving you._'

Lance's voice rang out clear over the din. My head was aching so bad tears ran down my face. Was this what Harry felt like when his scar hurt?

'_I'll always be with you._'

"Get out of my head," I moaned. There was another searing pain in my arm.

'_You can't escape me. You'll give in to me eventually._'

"Protego!"

The silence was deafening. My head throbbed, and I struggled to open my eyes. Cedric was standing over me, his wand held in one hand, pointed at me, and a small bottle of Essence of Dittany in the other. He looked disheveled and distressed.

"What…" he breathed almost dangerously. "What the _bloody hell_ was that?"

I found myself shaking uncontrollably and violently. "I—I—I…"

Cedric carefully pocketed the bottle and his wand before leaning down and helping me up. My knees shook and I nearly fell over, so he wrapped an arm around my waist and walked me into the bedroom.

"Jen… please, what happened?" he asked a bit gentler this time.

"Cedric, I'm going mad." I was whispering, but it sounded like yelling.

"You're not mad, Jen."

"His voice is in my head," I said shakily, more tears falling down my cheeks.

"Lance?" Cedric asked darkly. We sat on the bed together.

"Ye – yes," I stuttered.

He pulled me into a tight hug. "He's not going to win," Cedric said firmly. "He's not going to."

"What can I do, Cedric?" I asked, still clutching at my head with my bloody hand. It didn't feel quite like it would explode anymore, but it still ached and my ears were still ringing.

"I… um… I don't know Jen. But I'll help you any way I can."

I shuddered. "Th-thanks, Cedric."

He pressed his lips to my forehead, burning a kiss into my skin. "You should sleep."

"Yeah."

"I'll get you some—"

"No," I said suddenly, guessing what he was going to say. "I'm scared to sleep."

He frowned slightly again, and nudging me down to lying. "I'll stay with you then."

"Thanks."

* * *

**I reckon you're all about to kill me for lack of updating ::facepalm: I hope this was worth the wait.**

**Huge, huge thanks to _Psyche101, XxTamakiAndHaruhi4evaxX, Recovering4life, vdouble.e, Sarah, Dreamsb223, Twilight016_ for the reviews! Special awesome thanks to _NewFanFictionFan_ for pointing out things that need to be fixed - I found a new beta and I feel they've much improved things. **

**Thank you to _summer sun_ on Mibba for helping me edit!**

**~Icamane**


	9. At The Gate

It took a few days before I left the flat again. Cedric had contacted Mr. Blotts and explained that I'd accidentally Splinched myself and wasn't feeling well, but that was only half true. I wasn't well at all, but it had more to do with the fact that Lance had somehow completely unhinged my mind and less to do with skinning my arm. I spent those days curled up on our couch, drinking coffee and reading feverishly to keep myself awake. I feared sleep. Cedric made me sleep after he got a hold of a potion for dreamless sleep, and that worked the few times I drank it, but I didn't dare close my eyes without it.

The day I was due to go back to work, I instead got a note from Dumbledore. It read:

_Jennifer,_

_I do hope you have recovered and are willing to come up to the school tonight to start patrolling duties. You, Sarlanda, and Nymphadora will be on duty to make sure the students arrive safely._

Of course. It was September first. How could I have forgotten? _Oh, wait._ I wonder why.

_Please report promptly at five o'clock to Rosemerta and myself. The shift will end at midnight. We will coordinate other shifts from there._

_Best Regards,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

I left the note on the counter and made my probably billionth cup of coffee that week. Well... at least Lance wouldn't be able to get to me at Hogwarts. Hopefully.

"What's this?"

Cedric had come home and was now examining Dumbledore's note, still in his work robes.

"Note from Dumbledore. Did you tell him about the Splinching?"

"Yes," Cedric said without looking up. "I thought he should know."

"...Yeah. That was probably a good call."

"And I didn't want you to re-live it right after it had happened," he added, looking at me now with sad grey eyes. "But, you know, you should probably talk to Dumbledore about it at some point. He might be able to help you figure out what Lance is doing."

"I know what he's doing," I said irritably, setting my mug down. "He's messing with me. I just need to find out how to stop him."

"Well, Dumbledore can probably help with that, too," he said calmly as I folded and pocketed the note. He walked around behind me and set his hands on my shoulders, massaging them. "Jen, I'm really worried about you."

"Join the party," I said, closing my eyes. Merlin, his hands felt good.

"But really... I want to help you."

"Well, there's nothing much you can do, seeing as you can't break into my mind or anything. Though, healing me after that Splinching was nice."

"It wasn't nice at all," he said darkly. "You were bleeding all over the place. If I hadn't been home—"

"Yeah, but you were."

He sighed. "Yeah. Look, just be careful, okay? He's out to get you."

"Duh. He's been at it since we met."

I left for Hogsmeade at five 'til five. Apparating works a lot better when you're calm. I ended up on the street that wound through the village and started down it for the Three Broomsticks. Nostalgia washed over me, and I dearly missed both my brother and Hogwarts. With luck, I'd get to see both of them tonight.

The pub was surprisingly empty. A few stray witches were gathered around one table sipping Firewhiskey, and at the bar sat Tonks, Sarlanda and Dumbledore, with Rosemerta behind the counter.

"Ah, Jennifer," Dumbledore said when he noticed me. I slid onto the stool next to Sarlanda. "You look better than I expected," he continued, his piercing blue gaze looking over my small scars on my arm.

"Thanks," I said awkwardly, avoiding his and Sarlanda's eyes. "What're we up to tonight?"

"Nymphadora will be securing Hogsmeade while you and Sarlanda take the perimeter of the grounds," Dumbledore explained. "They've already been secured by protective charms, but I feel some extra precaution will be needed tonight. We don't want to take any chances when it comes to student safety."

I almost snorted.

"Dawlish, Proudfoot and Savage will be here to relieve you at midnight," he continued. "Rosemerta, make sure they meet here first."

"Will do," she replied, wiping down the counter.

"Well, I must get back up to the school. Filch will more than likely wish to remind me for the seventh time to mention the banned items," he said with a slight chuckle. As he stood, I caught a glimpse of his right hand—it was black, withered, and dead looking. But he shook his robes over it, said, "Good night and good luck," and left. Tonks, Sarlanda and I all exchanged looks before standing ourselves and following him outside.

"Just hope this is a quiet night," Tonks said, smoothing out her cloak around her before walking down the street. Sarlanda and I set off towards the gates to the grounds.

"What's up with Tonks?" I asked once we were out of Tonks' earshot.

"What?" Sarlanda grunted.

"Her hair. It's brown."

"So?"

"Never mind."

We walked in silence for maybe five minutes until we reached the gates and took up our posts on either side of them. Maybe another minute passed before Sarlanda spoke up.

"So... heard you Splinched yourself."

I flinched.

"You gonna tell me what happened?"

"Nothing much happened. I just Disapparated when I was panicked and Splinched my arm. Lucky Cedric was home."

"That's not all I heard." She looked at me with those cold, calculating grey eyes. Eyes that made me want to squirm even though I knew she meant no real harm. "Cedric said you could hear Lance's voice in your head."

"Oh, is he just talking about me behind my back to everyone these days?" I asked hotly. "First Dumbledore, now you..."

"Actually, it was about half the Order." I clenched my fists. "Look, he's worried about you and Lance. Lance is a huge threat to the Order."

"Is he now? I thought he just wanted to have a plaything."

"Look, Jen, if he's breaking into your mind, you need to let us know."

"Isn't that a bit personal?"

"It's also a threat to everyone. If Lance can get inside your head, think about all he could learn. Lots of other people would be at risk, because let's face it, you know a lot."

I didn't exactly have a response that didn't sound stupid. "Look, Sar... just... drop it. He's trying to crack me. What's new?"

"The fact that he was actually talking to you, from the sounds of it. What did he say?"

I hesitated. "That he'd never leave me."

"Lovely."

And then she was silent, thinking, staring off into the fading sun. When I couldn't stand it any longer, I said, "I'm going to go walk the border."

"I'll let you know if I need you," she responded absently.

I walked for maybe an hour before I came back and Sarlanda took up her round. It was nearly seven when she came back, and it was freezing cold now. Why it had to be this cold in September, I didn't know. I drew my cloak tighter around my shoulders, wishing that I could make a fire or something, and wondering when the train would get here.

"There's the carriages," Sarlanda said, pointing down the path. I squinted, just able to make out the Thestrals and the carriages they pulled coming towards us. Just when the first one reached us, Sarlanda pointed her wand at the gate and it opened silently. I gripped my wand tight in my frozen fingers, hoping I wouldn't have to use it. While the carriages that passed, I attempted to see inside them for a familiar face, but to no avail. We watched as the students were carried up towards the castle; in the distance, Filch checking their names and faces as they disembarked and entered the glowing - and probably _warm_ - Entrance Hall.

When the last carriage passed through, we closed the gates once more. "It's weird," I said, trying to make conversation again. I couldn't remember the last time we had been this awkward.

"Not being in those things?" Sarlanda asked.

"Yeah."

We waited around the gates for an even longer stretch of time than before. Nearing eight-thirty, Sarlanda left to patrol again. Luckily, it had been fairly quiet so far.

Sarlanda had been gone for a while when I saw two people walking up the path towards me. I gripped my wand tightly. "Bloody hell, of course," I muttered.

But as they came closer, I saw that it was Tonks and... Harry. It was Harry.

"Harry? What's—Harry, what happened?" I asked, panicked when I saw the blood that was covering his cheek and chin.

"Malfoy tried to send me back to London," he said grimly as I hugged him tight. "And broke my nose for good measure."

"But we've got him now," Tonks said. She conjured a Patronus that went flying up to the school.

"Well, we should get you up to the castle," I said, turning to the gate and realizing that I had no idea how to open it, and Sarlanda wasn't anywhere nearby. I hated being out of the loop.

"It's alright, someone's coming down," Tonks said, and we watched a light float down from the Entrance Hall towards the gates. I really hoped that was McGonagall or Hagrid.

But no, it was Snape. "Well, well, well, nice of you to turn up, Potter," he sneered at us through the bars before opening them.

"I meant for Hagrid to get my message," Tonks frowned.

"Incidentally, Hagrid was late for the start of term feast, just like Potter here, so I took it in his stead," Snape said greasily, pulling Harry out of my reach.

"Write me," I muttered to Harry before Snape slammed the gate in our faces. Harry just nodded as Snape led him back up to the castle.

"Well, I'd best get back to Hogsmeade," Tonks said gloomily before turning to leave. She was almost out of sight when Sarlanda turned back up.

"What was that all about? I saw a light come down from the castle," she said, frowning slightly.

"Your little brother tried to send mine back to London, so Tonks and Snape had to bail him out," I summarized, kicking a rock. "But then again, Harry was probably spying; you know him."

"Yeah, probably."

I checked my watch. We still had almost three hours left before we could go home. "Hey, Ophilia's doing okay, right?"

"Yeah, she got out of St. Mungo's a while ago."

"I wish I could have gone to see her. It's been murder doing Dementor patrol."

"Tell me about it."

"And then Mr. Blotts... he wants me there every day. Terrified Death Eaters are going to bust in and take him."

"They could."

"Yeah, but, really... Ollivander, I kind of get. Blotts? It's not like people wouldn't be able to buy spellbooks if Blotts was gone."

"They killed Flourish," she said darkly.

"Good point. Still... it's a bit annoying. Isn't having me there a bit more of an incentive to attack the shop?"

"Depends on what they're after."

"Right."

More silence.

"How's everyone else? I've been really out of contact."

"Yeah, you have been. Lee and Fred have started up a radio station. It's nothing much, but it's good to hear from them. Jared and Colin have been doing really regular patrols in London. Colin even saved these Muggles from a whole pack of Dementors."

Her voice was cool, rather than cold like it usually was.

"Let's see... Sophia and Brittany have been working so hard I have no idea what's going on with them. Same with Stacey. And well, Fred and George are good. Fred's been better since Ophilia's been back."

"I bet," I said, smiling slightly.

"How's your end? I mean, I see Cedric occasionally, but..."

"He's holding up a lot better than I am."

"So I noticed." She looked at me pointedly. "You honestly look dead on your feet."

"Gee, thanks."

"No, really. This is worse than last May."

"Yeah. I can't sleep."

"Cedric's had me bring him Dreamless Draughts. For you, I assume?"

"Yeup. Only way I can sleep."

Sarlanda stared at me, thinking hard again. "Look, Jen... I'll see what I can come up with for protecting you better. Occlumency would help."

"Yeah, because I'm _so_ good at that," I replied sarcastically.

"It's a method. I'll see what I can dig up on counter-hexes and such. I have a few good Legilimency books if you want to read them."

"Bring them by. I need new books to read; I think I've gone through about twelve in the past few days."

"Alright."

There was more silence, and then I said, "I'll walk the border now."

"'Kay. See you back here in a few."

"Yeup."

* * *

**So, basically, I suck. I've been on an MCR fanfiction tangent, so everything else has been neglected. The good news is that I have a new beta (battalions on Mibba) who is AMAZING and I love her so much. That and I'll be updating this story roughly once a week for as long as I can keep it up. So maybe we'll be a little more than fifteen chapters in by Feburary ::facepalm:**

**Thank you to _Twilight016, Psyche101, Leanora_ and _godshinin300_ for the reviews :) **

**~Icamane**


	10. Fortescue

I had the next day off, so out of guilt, I went to Diagon Alley day to visit the joke shop. I guess talking to Sarlanda made me realize how little I had seen of anyone else, how little I had been communicating with my friends.

It wasn't that hard to find. These days, nearly half of the Alley was closed, though I did pick up peanut butter ice cream from Florean Fortescue before making my way down past Madame Malkin's and Flourish and Blotts, to nearly Gringotts. The sign I read as I walked in the colourful store said, "U NO POO - THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT'S SWEEPING THE NATION!" I chuckled before opening the door with my free hand. I was pleased to observe that there were a number of people in the shop.

"Oi! No food allowed, you Ginger," George said in good spirits, grinning as I closed the door behind me.

"Yeah, look who's talking," I replied, smiling back before hugging him and letting him have a few licks of the ice cream.

"'Bout time you came around. I was wondering if you had forgotten about us."

"'Course not. I've just been busy."

"Haven't we all," said a voice, and Fred appeared from out behind a display of the Twin's amazing fireworks. "What have you been up to?"

"Working at Flourish and Blotts, and last night I was patrolling at Hogwarts with Sar and Tonks."

"Thrilling."

"Yeah. Harry almost got stuck on the train thanks to Draco."

"Git."

"Of course." I turned around slowly, trying to take in everything in my vicinity in that one sweep of the eyes. I whistled. "Wow. This is... fantastic."

"Did you expect anything less?"

"I feel like we're pretty fantastic in our own right."

"I think she's forgotten just how great we are."

"Couldn't have said it any better myself, Fred."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh honestly. Got anything I absolutely need?"

"Sure," George said, leading me over to a dark display. "Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. Recommended it to your brother just a few weeks ago. You can't see anything in it until it clears. Dead useful."

I picked up a few rocks of the stuff. "I'll bet. Nice get-away material."

George proceeded to give me a tour of the establishment while Fred helped customers. It was all rather impressive, how many things they had and what good business they were getting. Though, a good laugh was just the thing that everyone needed nowadays.

"I think Ophilia's back here," George said, frowning slightly as he led me into the back room. And there she was, purple hair bouncing as she organized the shelves. It had grown a little longer than she usually kept it.

"Oh, Jen!" she said brightly as she spotted us, setting the box she was holding down and coming to hug me.

"Hey Ophilia, how're you holding up?" I asked hesitantly. "I'm really, really sorry I couldn't go see you, I've—"

"It's fine Jen, we're all slammed with work from the Order," she reassured me. "And I'm fine. Sarlanda got me fixed right up and I was out of the hospital in a day."

"Well, good. Just stay that way, okay?"

"Promise. I'm so glad you finally got to come see the shop though."

"I'll go see if Fred needs help," George excused himself, and he left us alone in the back room.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to, I just..."

"Couldn't find the time?"

"Yeah."

"Ooh, but you're working at Flourish and Blotts, right?" she asked, sitting on a stool.

"Yes, it's um... interesting. I get to read a lot when there aren't many customers, which is... often."

"Shame." Ophilia shook her head. "It's insane how much this war is affecting everyone. I've never heard of people being too scared to come into Diagon Alley, and I grew up in the Wizarding World."

"Yeah, but it hasn't been quite right since the Death Eaters took Ollivander..." I finished my ice cream. "Hey, you want to go outside? It's actually kinda nice out."

"Holy Fizzing Whizbees, yes. I've been in all day," she said, standing and leading me out into the main part of the store. "Fred, Jen and I are going out into the Alley for a bit, I'll be back soon."

"Alright, be careful," he said, muffled from a rather large and heavy-looking box. She beamed and we walked outside into the sunlight.

Ophilia took a deep breath as the shop door closed behind us. "Ah, this is wonderful. I love the sun."

"So I noticed in second year when you attempted to widen the window in our dorm," I mused.

She shrugged her shoulders, and we started walking down the cobblestone street.

All was fine until we were about even with Quality Quidditch Supplies. And then, of course, something just had to happen. I almost wasn't fazed by the screaming that came from down the street. Ophilia and I didn't even glance at each other as we pulled out our wands and ran.

The ice cream parlor was in chaos. Windows were smashed, tables and chairs overturned, and there was ice cream smeared on the cobblestones. Two cloaked figures emerged from inside the shop, holding a limp Florean in between them. Without a second thought, Ophilia and I both yelled, "Stupify!" Our spells were deflected, but the force of them blew off one of the Death Eater's hoods. It was Dolohov.

"Crucio!" he yelled, but we dodged. I sent another Stunning Spell as Ophilia pointed her wand at the street and coated it in ice. The other Death Eater passed off Florean to Dolohov and waved his wand around a fallen chair, transfiguring it into a huge panther that then pounced at Ophilia.

I was about to help her when the Death Eater turned on me and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"

I blocked it with a Shield Charm, but there was no doubting who's voice that was - Lance.

"Duro!" I yelled, and it missed him by inches. We dueled without speaking for almost a minute, sending jinxes and hexes at each other, either blocking or dodging them. And it didn't seem like Lance was even trying.

_'Incendio!_' I thought, and finally, some luck. The jet of fire caught the left side of his body and he yelped in pain. As he went to extinguish himself, I yelled, "Philimungus!" It wasn't much, but the multi-coloured fungi sprung up all around his feet and up his legs, loosely rooting him in the spot. I went to tackle him and he grimaced before Disapparating.

"Dammit," I cursed, spinning to see if Ophilia was okay. She was - more than okay, in fact. She had managed the Vanish the panther completely.

"What was that even about?" Ophilia asked sadly. "All Florean ever did was sell ice cream."

"Death Eaters don't approve of happiness," I reminded her grimly. "And neither does Lance."

"Was that who the other one was? I thought I recognized his voice."

"Yes. He's following me." When she frowned, I said, "What else is new?"

"Well, Jen, it's just that..."

"That what?"

"Everywhere?"

I looked her in the eyes. "Everywhere."

* * *

**So far, my promise has been kept xD**

**Thanks to _DuckInTheHat_ and _Psyche101_ for the reviews!**

**~Icamane**


	11. Another Offer

Cedric was shocked at the news of Death Eaters (particularly Lance and Dolohov) taking away Fortescue. Because seriously... an ice cream man?

Diagon Alley was in a right state the next day. I picked up a Butterbeer from the Leakey Cauldron and there were at least six people in the bar. That was several more than there was on any given day lately. Sipping the beverage, I entered Diagon Alley to find Ministry wizards crawling all over the ice cream shop.

Kingsley was there, leading it up. Damn, even the Aurors were here? "What's going on?" I asked him, frowning at the wizards who were examining the table that the panther had clawed yesterday.

"Ministry investigation," he said in a soft voice, not looking at me. "The Minister is suspicious of Fortescue going missing. We're seeing if this has any connection to why they took Ollivander."

"Right," I muttered, watching a woman repair the front window of the shop. "I'll be in Flourish and Blotts if anything happens."

"Noted," Kingsley replied, and I walked on down the alley. Mr. Blotts was in a frantic state when I entered.

"Oh, Miss Potter, I wondered... I mean, I was thinking—"

"About down the street? I saw them carry Fortescue off," I said grimly, making my way through a maze of books on the floor.

"Oh." I reached the back counter, but he didn't meet my gaze. "Death Eaters?" he whispered.

"Yes," I confirmed. "Two of them. Though, I'm not exactly sure how they got into the alley, since you can't Apparate in."

"True, true." He seemed to be lost in thought. "Well, as you can see, the shop is a mess..."

"On it," I replied, and went to pick up the strewn books.

It was nearly three that afternoon when something mildly interesting happened. We had only had two customers the entire day, and as a result, I was running the shop myself - Blotts had gone upstairs to make himself some tea. I browsed the Defense section, keeping an open ear for the bell tinkling. I had just found a rather interesting looking book - _Innovations in Hexes and Jinxes_ - when the door opened and I heard two sets of footsteps enter. I left the book out where I could find it again later and walked around to the front to greet the customers.

I recognized the man in front at once. It was Dawlish, the Auror - I had just seen him helping to clean up the ice cream parlor this morning. The other was a man who looked somewhat like an old lion with wild hair and keen yellow eyes. I was almost certain this was the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.

"Hello Minister, Dawlish," I said politely when they noticed me. "Can I help you with anything? If you're looking for Mr. Blotts, he's just upstairs—"

"I'm looking for you," the Minister replied curtly. "Kingsley said you worked here."

"Yeah... I do," I said awkwardly. "How can I, er, be of assistance, Minister?"

"Dawlish, a moment," he said, and Dawlish nodded before stepping just outside the door, looking rather imposing. I frowned. Oh yes, let's make customers even more afraid of shopping. "Miss Potter," he began, looking at the history books that were just over my right shoulder, "you know, as everyone does, what terrible danger the wizarding community is in."

_'Well, duh._' "Yes, sir."

"And that it is my duty as Minister of Magic to protect the wizarding community from the ever increasing threat of You-Know-Who," he continued. When I didn't say anything, he sighed. "Let's be frank here, Miss Potter; people in the community look up to you."

"Do they?" I asked, an eyebrow raised. I resisted the temptation to cross my arms, as that seemed rather impolite.

"Yes, they do indeed, as do they find solace in your brother."

What a weird word... solace...

"And the fact of the matter is if the Ministry were to calm people's fears, then it would make sense for them to ally themselves with people of such... prestige as yourself and your brother."

I nearly rolled my eyes. "What do you want, Minister?"

He shifted a bit nervously now, and refocused on my collarbone. "Merely that you could perhaps be a, ah, spokesperson for the Ministry, to, you see, give people confidence in what we're doing."

"So, you want me as your poster child for success and safety?" I shook my head. "Look, Minister, to let people feel safe would be to put their guard down, yes?"

"Now—"

"And by putting guard down, you're lulling people into a false sense of security, thereby making them more vulnerable to Voldemort."

His eyes twitched at the name.

"That and... is the Ministry even actually doing anything? Because last time I checked, they were slandering myself and my brother, not to mention several of my friends and Dumbledore, all over _The Daily Prophet_."

"Times have changed, Miss Potter," he said gravely.

"And so have I," I replied. I showed him the back of my hand, which still read in white letters, '_I must not question authority._' "Sorry Minister, but I question your authority."

He merely sighed. "Your brother gave me a very similar response."

"Good. I can continue to claim him." I set my jaw. "Now Minister, unless you have some books to buy, I must ask you to let me get back to my duties. The Transfiguration section is in a terrible state."

He gave me a calculating look, but must have decided I wasn't worth fighting with, because he just nodded and said, "Good day to you, Miss Potter."

"Good day, Minister."

I made off with three different books that night when I left - _Innovations in Hexes and Jinxes, Cure-All Anti-Curses_, and _Transfiguration for the Times - From Teacups to Tentacula_. The Transfiguration book I figured might hold some good tips for dueling, and judging from the skirmish yesterday, it seemed like a good idea to get back to studying Transfiguration. The other two had some really interesting looking spells, and what harm could come from learning new lines of defense? The only bad side to this whole operation was that I was technically only borrowing the books, so I had to be careful that Blotts didn't notice.

Cedric wasn't home yet when I got to the flat, so I dumped the books on the coffee table before I went to make dinner. There wasn't much in the cupboards, but the bit of roast chicken that we had been nibbling off looked good, so I started that up. As it cooked, I grabbed the curse book and started flipping through it. I scribbled down the page numbers off ones that looked promising and then ate, leaving Cedric's portion in the oven to keep warm.

Back in the living room, I waved my wand and moved the sparse furniture out of the way so I could have some space to practice. I hoped that I wouldn't blow something up before re-opening the book to a page that contained the Anti-Disapparating Jinx. It irked me that a jinx was in the book of curse, but I brushed the thought aside for the more positive one that it could prove to be very useful in a fight. It didn't say anything about how much space it would effect or for how long, but I assumed it could a very big area depending on the caster, seeing as I had known warehouses and cottages and the castle under the jinx.

I spent nearly fifteen minutes teaching myself just the wand movements. They were very complicated, and I was out of practice with not having learned new magic in several months—and even then it was being taught to me by someone else. But once that was conquered, the incantation was fairly simple, though it was to be non-verbal - _Prohi Evanidus_. I waved my wand just like the book said and thought, _'Prohi Evanidus!_' Nothing happened, so I tried to Apparate into the hallway after checking my key was in my pocket. I was able to, and disappointed, I let myself back in to the flat. I checked the clock - it was nearly nine, and Cedric should be home by now.

"Probably working late," I reassured myself out-loud, relocking the door and trying the spell again. This time, I felt as if I had done something, and when I tried to Disapparate, I was blocked and it was a bit like running headlong into a brick wall. Rubbing my head, I checked the book again to see if there was some way to actually lift the spell - it said something about possibly wearing off, but I just raised my wand and muttered, "Finite Incantatum." Then I spun on the spot, ran into that wall again, and when I landed back in the living room I felt pain on my left hand. I had Splinched off a good chunk of flesh from my palm. Cursing, I went to the bathroom and got some tissue for it before searching for the Essence of Dittany.

As I ran water over my hand, the door opened and Cedric's voice called out. "Jen? I'm home!"

"Hi, there's food for you in the oven!" I called back over the sound of the water.

"Where are you?"

"Bathroom!"

I heard his footsteps and then he was standing in the doorway. It took him a moment to register what I was doing, but then he looked startled. "What happened this time, Jen?" he asked.

"Splinched myself again. I'm trying to get the hang of the Anti-Dissapparation Jinx," I explained, turning the faucet knob off and opening the Dittany bottle.

"Here, let me do that," he said, reaching for the bottle, but I was already dripping some on my mangled hand.

"Got it, thanks though. You should go eat."

He looked at me with an expression of concern before saying, "Yeah, I'll do that," and leaving for the kitchen. I cleaned up and wrapped my hand so it could recover in peace. I really needed to stop losing flesh so frequently.

Cedric was sitting down to eat when I came in the kitchen and took a seat across the table. "Well, how was your day?" I asked, smiling at him. It felt nice to smile.

"Alright. Had to deal with a mess with the _Prophet_ over Fortescue," he grumbled, cutting the chicken a bit roughly. "Bloody idiots didn't want to put out anything about it, so I had to go down there and tell them who's boss."

"Why did _you_ have to go?" I asked, eyebrows raised.

"I don't even know. We were really short this morning, so I guess I was the only one who was sort of free."

"At least the Ministry's trying to do something... kind of."

"Yeah." He chewed hungrily. "How was yours? Did you have to fight anyone?"

"Kind of." When he looked at me questioningly, I elaborated. "The Minister paid me a visit in the store this morning."

Cedric frowned. "What did he want?"

"For me to be the poster girl of the Ministry and get people on their side," I said plainly, "which of course is completely ridiculous. He said he asked Harry, too, and that Harry gave him the same response."

"Good," Cedric muttered. "Did you show him your hand?"

"Oh yes, and I don't think he liked that very much."

"He's pretty daft to even think you and Harry would consider partnering up with the Ministry."

"Especially when they're still a fairly, well, corrupt institution."

"The higher ups kind of are," he agreed.

"But anyways, that was pretty much it. I told him to leave, and he just did. Then I brought home more books, Splinched myself accidentally, and bam we're here."

"Why on earth would you ever Splinch yourself on purpose?" he asked teasingly, standing to go wash his plate.

"I dunno; masochism, I guess," I shrugged.

"But... why all these books?" he asked, finishing and following me out into the living room.

"Um, I like to read?" I said, hinting that that answer was a bit of an obvious one.

"_Transfiguration for the Times_?" he asked, picking up the book in question and flipping through it. "But you hate Transfiguration."

"I figured after yesterday that it might be a good idea to try and figure out how to at least counter people using it in duels," I said carefully. "I mean, Ophilia almost got mauled by a chair pretending to be a panther."

"Yes, but... it's just, out of character for you, Jen."

I didn't meet his eyes.

"You sure that's all this is about? Dueling?"

"Yes." It wasn't untrue.

"Look, Jen, if you're out to exact revenge on Lance or something—"

"I'm not!" I said defensively.

"—it's completely mad. You should focus on protecting yourself, not going after him."

"That's precisely what I'm doing!" I snatched the book from him.

"Revenge?"

"No, protecting myself."

His eyebrows furrowed as I picked up the books. "Look, I'm going to bed. It's been a long day," I snapped, and I stomped off to the bedroom, leaving him there by himself.

* * *

**Have I mentioned that I enjoy making Jen and Cedric fight?**

**...no?**

**Well, I apologize in advance if you _don't_ like it.**

**Much love to _Psych101_ and _Twilight16_ for the reviews, and to answer your question, _Twilight16_, Under Pressure was sort of what _could_ have happened but I felt like didn't have any place in the actual story, so I wrote it as its own spin-off.**


	12. Letters To You

**Attack In Diagon Alley**

Earlier this week, it is reported that Death Eaters attacked Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor in Diagon Alley, destroying the shop and carrying off its owner.

Mr. Fortescue, 49, was a gentle and generous man, says all who knew him, and they are baffled as to exactly why he was attacked.

"He never harmed anyone," his frantic wife told _Prophet_ reporters when called upon before slamming the door in their faces.

Mister Kingsley Shacklebolt, Head of the Auror Office, led an investigation shortly after the attack. He made no comment, but a fellow Auror, Mister Dawlish, told reporters, "We don't have much to go on, but we're determined to find Fortescue."

Reporters were unable to contact any witches or wizards who are believed to have been in Diagon Alley at the time of the attacks.

* * *

_Jennifer,_

_Hope this gets to you all right. _

_School's been murder. Snape is the new Defense teacher! Slughorn, it turns out, was the old Potions Master. Which is good, I guess, because I can now take Potions which I need for being an Auror (which is complete rubbish, but you know that), Defense is more like Dark Arts class, the way Snape goes on about it. He practically professed his love to it on first day of term. _

_But anyways, neither Ron nor I had the book, so we had to borrow. I got this old one in the cupboard that says it was the property of "The Half-Blood Prince." Do you know who that might be? Maybe someone you learned about in N.E.W.T. History of Magic? Either way, this bloke wrote instructions for how to make the potions really good, and I've been beating Hermione all week. I think she's mad at me for it._

_I don't know if you've been told, but I was made Quidditch Captain. I'm going to have tryouts for the whole team sometime soon, since I want the best people. Sorry, but I'd rather not deal with another disaster like what you had last year. Still, I wish you were here to play for us._

_I saw that article about Fortescue. It's really vague, but unsettling. I can't believe they just... dragged him away. Were you working that day? If so, did you see anything? Or know anything about why he was taken?_

_Oh, by the way, there should be an owl order coming soon for two copies of _Advanced Potion Making_ for Ron and I. When that comes in, do you think you could maybe pick us up refills for our Potion kits? We kind of got... surprised into the class. I can send you a list of what we need if you like._

_I hope you're doing okay. Let me know next time you're going to be up here, it took me ages (well, took Hermione ages) to figure out how to send this without an owl. I just can't send Hedwig anywhere safely, and I'm pretty sure they're reading all the mail on the owls. Didn't you lot figure out how to do it last year with the whole Marauder thing? _

_Harry_

* * *

_Dear Harry,_

_Yes, I got your note. I spilt coffee all over the carpet when it just popped out of nowhere. I guess my Anti-Disapparation Jinx has worn off, because I sent this back right away without a problem. Remind me to work on that Jinx with Cedric present next time._

_Oh goodness, Snape's teaching Defense? I'm sorry, that must be terrible. Well, at least he... knows his stuff, but he's not a very pleasant teacher. Oh, speaking of Defense, are you going to keep DA going? I would if I were you, but then again, you're starting N.E.W.T. classes, so maybe not. And you have a somewhat competent teacher this year. Well... maybe that's stretching it._

_Really? You've been beating... Hermione? What about Launa? And no, it doesn't ring a bell. There's no wizarding royalty; at least, not officially. I'll look through some books at work though and let you know if I come up with anything._

_Oh good, I was hoping you'd get it. Do let me know who you pick for the team. And send me the dates of the matches, I'll try and convince Dumbledore to let me come see them. I'm sure you'll do great, Harry._

_Yeah, that article wasn't the best. Yes, I was there that day. Ophilia and I were trying to save him, in fact. It was Lance and Dolohov who got him, and we nearly got Lance but he Disapparated. As for why they took him, none of us have a clue. I mean... he was an ice cream man who had a knack at remembering history. I dunno, is Voldemort researching goblin wars now? I don't know if we'll ever find out._

_Do send me a list, because I honestly don't remember what we used in N.E.W.T. Potions, especially not sixth year, and therefore have no idea what either of you need. I'll get them ordered for you as soon as I get the list. _

_Just ask Hyden. He gets how to send notes. Hermione'll have to adapt it for long distances though. _

_I'm doing alright, I guess. Cedric and I have been working a lot, so we don't see much of each other, or other people. I've Splinched myself twice in the past month so you should work at being really good at Apparating as soon as they start giving those lessons. But I'm fine, really, other than that. Lance has been messing with me, so I haven't gotten much sleep, but that's not new. I have no clue when I'll be patrolling up at the school again, but it might be soon. I'll let you know as soon as I do._

_Stay out of trouble. Give my love to everyone._

_Love,_

_Jennifer_

* * *

_Jennifer,_

_This Saturday, I request that you and Mister Hood be at the Three Broomsticks at noon sharp to take up a patrol of the village and grounds. _

_Additionally, on the same date at eight o'clock, please visit my office. Harry will be there, and I have some information I would like to discuss with the two of you. _

_Best Regards,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

* * *

_Dumbledore,_

_I'll be there. _

_Jennifer_

* * *

_Jennifer,_

_I've attached the list of potion ingredients Ron and I need, as well as some requests from Launa and gold from her. She says she's working on some new potion that will help keep your mind closed from Lance while you're asleep and that you'll have to meet her in Hogsmeade to get it if she has it done. _

_The books came in. Ron thought your note was funny. Actually, he didn't, but I did. _

_I'll send another letter along later._

_Harry_

* * *

_Dear Jennifer,_

_I realized after Hermione asked me about the charm we did to send notes by magic that Harry was writing to you and decided I should write to you as well._

_Fact of the matter is I miss Dad. I've written a new song about it. I'd play it for you, but I didn't think you'd appreciate a Howler without warning. Plus Cedric might complain._

_I'm going to try out for Quidditch when Harry gets the date set. Wish me luck._

_Defense with Snape is so brutal it should be criminal. (Not that that's ever stopped the Ministry, but anyways…) Non-verbal spells are really difficult, especially in Transfiguration. Hermione and I are the only ones who can pull it off consistently._

_Are you visiting soon? And how are you, Harry said you Splinched yourself. Really, you should have the hang of Apparating by now._

_Best,_

_Hyden_

_PS: Start listening to the radio._

* * *

_Harry and Hyden,_

_I'm coming up to patrol this Saturday and then visiting Dumbledore that evening. See you there, Harry._

_Hyden, I'll have to go get a wireless though. I think I have enough gold. And tell Launa I got her ingredients for her and that they're coming with Harry and Ron's. _

_Have fun and good luck at tryouts, both of you. Build a good team, Harry. _

_You'll get the hang of non-verbal spells soon enough. It's like anything else - start small and build big. I wish you luck._

_Oh, Hyden, Cedric says he wouldn't mind a Howler with music in it if it's good. Personally, I don't mind, because I know you're good. I think the Ministry is affecting him. _

_See you Saturday,_

_Jennifer_

* * *

"Hello ladies and gentlemen of the wizarding world! This is River here with a request of remembrance of Florean Fortescue. If you can hear this mate, we're thinking about you and hope you're okay.

Tonight, I just have a little tidbit to share. I have a song here written by Mister Rockstar that he feels is appropriate to play under the circumstances. Take it away, Rockstar."

"Thanks River. I wrote this song in remembrance of my father, who was killed last June, and now I dedicate it to Mr. Fortescue.

_You never kept me waiting  
__You never kept me waiting_

_Come back now  
__Come back now  
__Come back from beyond the veil_

_Come back now  
__Come back now  
__Comb back from beyond the veil_

_I know you're there  
__I know you're there  
__You never kept me waiting_."

* * *

**Right, so, the song at the end there is _The Godfather Part II_ by Harry and the Potters. The link is here: .com/watch?v=txicanSJF1k**

**It's the demo version because I like it better and think that it fits with well with the story.**

**Thanks a million to _Psyche101, Twilight016, ashrachellexx_ and _Sara and Kisa_ for the reviews! :D**


	13. Vital Information

**BRITTANY**

I'd a hard time of finding a baby sitter for the evening. I had dropped by Jennifer's flat, but no one was there, so I went by Stacey's and after some talk, I left Diana with her and went to my patrol.

It was a much shorter walk from Stacey's place to the diner where Jared and I would meet than from my own flat. It was chilly, and I pulled my jacket tight around myself to keep warm, my wand almost poking me from inside my pocket. The street lamp was on this time. Last time it was off, I had gotten attacked by four Dementors and that wasn't fun. I stepped inside the diner where we were to meet. Maybe I could grab a coffee before patrolling all night.

The bell jingled when I walked in. There were only two people inside – a guy sitting in a stool, finishing off a drink, and the girl who normally worked nights behind the counter. She looked up and gave me a smile when she saw me.

"Coffee?" she asked, and I nodded. The guy turned around and I saw that it was Colin Parker. I frowned.

"Where's Jared?" I asked as I sat down on a stool next to him. The waitress slid me a coffee and I pulled out a few crumpled notes from my pocket and handed them to her.

"He's on patrol at Hogwarts tonight with Jennifer," he replied, sipping his own beverage.

"Oh, that explains it."

"Explains what?"

"Nothing, nothing."

He sighed, finished his own drink, and said, "Well, should we get going?"

"Yeah, I guess," I replied, standing and taking a sip of my coffee. The drink was hot but soothing. I could see why Jennifer drank this stuff like it was pumpkin juice.

"What direction?" he asked as we walked outside, the cold biting our faces.

"South. Tonks sent me a message earlier that there were some Death Eaters spotted there."

"Let's get to it then," he said, and we set off side by side down the street. Though it was cold, it wasn't frosty or misty, which was a good sign: there weren't any Dementors around. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen one in a while.

"So, how's life going with you?" Colin asked after we had gone about three blocks.

"Mmm. Sleepless." I took another sip, trying to warm up again. "Diana keeps me up the nights that I'm not patrolling."

"How old's she now?"

"Five months."

He whistled. "Wow. Time flies."

"You're telling me."

Another sip, another two blocks. "You've found a job, I hope?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm in the Accidents Department at the Ministry. It's been mental down there."

"I bet."

"We had this one witch come in to St. Mungo's, claiming she had bought some talisman to protect herself from Dementors but when she put it on, she started spurting all sorts of... things on her body. Luckily, it got deferred to Arthur Weasley's team and Sarlanda fixed her up, but that's pretty much what's been going on. People just being scared."

"Mmm."

"What about you?"

"I've been working a bit part-time at Gringotts, but I can't do much because I have to watch Diana and it's not quite fair to dump her on my friends all the time."

"True. Still, that's got to be interesting. Do you get to see inside any of the vaults?"

"No, it's mostly just counting and evaluating worth. But I have seen some really interesting things. Just yesterday, actually, I had to sort through and catalog everything in the Lestrange vault. I know, I should have swiped something, but I couldn't. Anyways, Bellatrix has this really nice little gold goblet that I think has the symbol of Hufflepuff on it."

Colin's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. It's got badgers and a great H and everything. It's probably school history."

"And worth a fortune."

"That too."

I chucked my empty coffee cup in a rubbish bin that we passed, longing for another drink. And now I could see how easily Jen had gotten addicted to the stuff.

"How far south do we need to go?" Colin asked after a while.

I frowned, looking around. We had gone quite some distance. "I don't know," I responded truthfully. "Tonks didn't give an exact street or location, just somewhere in the area."

"Great," Colin grumbled. "This looks like a right creepy place."

"Lumos," I muttered, lighting up my wand as we passed into a park. The grass was rather damp and the trees blocked the stars. Colin was right. The surrounding houses looked not only ancient and dark, but vaguely familiar. Was this a wizarding neighborhood?

Colin followed suit, and we continued. We were almost out of the park when I stopped. "Wait," I muttered, flashing my wand around. "Nox."

Now it was dark save the street light that was far enough away that it wouldn't do us much good.

"What is it?" Colin asked.

"I heard something over there," I whispered, starting off the path and into the bushes as quietly as I could. He followed hesitantly.

When I heard low voices, I stopped and backed up to the nearest tree. I set my foot and started climbing slowly, careful not to hurt myself or make a lot of noise. It took Colin a moment to get what I was doing, but once he did, he found his own tree and started climbing.

When I reached a sturdy branch that stuck out towards where I had heard the voices, I laid down on it and inched along, gripping my wand tightly. I couldn't see the faces, but I could see outlines of two people standing below me. I leaned in to try and catch snatches of their conversation.

"...do you not trust the Dark Lord's judgment?"

"Not this time, no," the second voice said almost immediately. "To trust this mission to a boy, let alone Lucius's..."

"The Dark Lord has confidence that Dumbledore will fall whether the boy succeeds or not," the first voice reasoned.

"Oh? And how does he plan on getting inside the castle?"

"I've heard he doesn't need to. Dumbledore will fall."

The second voice scoffed. "But to trust a child with this errand, it seems very arrogant. Why not entice Dumbledore out into open combat?"

"Dumbledore would never go for it," the first voice said, almost bored. "He's too worried about his precious school to even leave his office."

There was a moment of silence. I prayed that neither Colin nor myself would make a noise. "Bellatrix doesn't trust it either."

"But Snape does. He made an Unbreakable Vow," the first voice said., "with Narcissa."

"What did he say?" the second voice asked with curiosity.

"That he would finish the job if Draco cannot."

I nearly slipped out of my tree. _'What?_' I thought hysterically.

I didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. I couldn't. My own thoughts were far too loud. Draco Malfoy had been employed by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore? What was Voldemort playing at? And Snape had said he would kill Dumbledore if Draco couldn't? What was _he_ playing at? None of it made sense. Snape was on our side, no matter how much of a despicable git he was.

It seemed like hours before the two Death Eaters left. When they did, Colin and I met down on the ground. We lit our wands and saw that we were both pale.

"Did you hear the same thing I did?" he asked, his voice a bit hollow.

"That Draco Malfoy or Snape is going to kill Dumbledore?" I replied, swallowing hard.

Colin took a shuddering breath and checked his watch. "It's one."

"We need to warn Dumbledore," I said, setting off through the bushes for a clear place to Disapparate.

"Will he be awake?"

"He will be when we get there," I said, holding out my arm to him. "I'm going to Hogsmeade, you coming?"

He paused, but finally took it. We spun on the spot and found ourselves just outside the Shrieking Shack. Without a word, we set off at a fast pace down the path to the gates.

Jared was there. "What's up?" he asked, puzzled. "Did something happen?"

"We've got to talk to Dumbledore," I told him. He frowned.

"What's your daughter's middle name?" he asked me.

"Clymus."

"How many teeth did Cedric Diggory get knocked out in his first Quidditch match?" he asked Colin.

"Three, his front ones, from Marcus Flint," Colin said, looking alarmed.

Jared nodded, satisfied. "Alright, go in," he said, waving his wand and opening the gate.

"Thanks," I said before Colin and I charged up towards the castle.

There wasn't anyone in the Entrance Hall. In fact, we didn't meet anyone at all as we worked our way up through the familiar corridors to Dumbledore's office.

"Acid Pop," Colin told the statue, and it sprung aside and let us up. I rapped on the door sharply.

"Dumbledore? It's Brittany Chang and Colin Parker," I announced.

"Come in," I heard his weary voice say, and we did. He was bent over the swirling silver of the Pensieve, eyes completely lost in it. "Yes, Brittany?" he asked after a moment, tearing his eyes away from the Pensieve and closing the cabinet around it, and finally shook the sleeve of his robes over his right hand. "If you're looking for Miss Potter, she left just half an hour ago."

"No, we need to talk to you," I said urgently. "We were on patrol tonight."

"We walked all the way through South London, and came to this park," Colin offered.

"I have no idea how we got so lucky, but we overheard some Death Eaters talking."

"Are you sure they were Death Eaters?" he asked, his blue eyes seeming to analyze me. I tried again to get a glimpse of his hand – I caught sight of some blackened flesh before he shook it out of view once more.

"Yes, I recognized one of the voices," Colin said. "It was Yaxley and some other bloke."

"Right. Well, they were talking..." I swallowed. "They were talking about how Draco Malfoy's been given the mission of killing you."

He smiled faintly. Why would he smile?

"Miss Chang, Mister Parker, I thank you for this information, but I am already aware. In fact, I've been aware of it since the summer."

"That's not all," Colin interjected nervously. "They also said that... Snape's supposed to kill you if Draco can't do it."

Again, Dumbledore just smiled knowingly. How could he do that? His life was being threatened!

"Yet again, I know this."

"But how?" I asked, almost exasperated.

"How is between myself and Severus."

"But sir—"

"I have said this many times; I trust Severus completely. Now, I suggest you go back to your patrol. We can't have the streets of London threatened."

I opened my mouth to argue, but closed it because it was pointless. "Yes sir. Goodnight," I said. Colin nodded, and we left the office.

"What's Dumbledore up to?" Colin asked as we descended the staircase.

"I don't know," I frowned determinedly. "Did you see his hand?"

"What?"

"His right hand. It's all burnt and black. And not like, a normal burn either. It looks like it's been cursed."

Colin gulped. "You don't think… someone attacked him?"

"Nah, we'd have heard about it, but… I'm going to find out…"

* * *

**This is a bit of an odd chapter, but everything will tie together... promise...**

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	14. The Necklace

**JENNIFER**

Three weeks had passed since I had a meeting with Dumbledore. Three weeks of almost peace. I didn't like it.

I stopped having dreams again. It was like Lance was luring me into another false sense of security until he could figure out his next move. Well, that wasn't going to happen.

I had mastered the Anti-Disapparation Jinx and how to take it off. And Blotts hadn't even noticed that I borrow books.

It was mid-October now, and what a day it would be. Today, Cedric and I were off to Hogsmeade to patrol while they let the students have a visit. It would be so nice to see everyone and to spend a day with Cedric, even though we'd be working.

"Hogwarts has snow," Cedric said from behind _The Daily Prophet_ as I walked in to make breakfast.

"Goodness, in October?" I asked, accepting the mug of coffee he handed me.

"Yeup. So we'd better wear thick cloaks if we're going to be patrolling all day."

"Right. Eggs and bacon?"

"Sure, thanks," he said, smiling at me and smoothing down the paper.

"Anything new in the _Prophe_t?" I asked as I started the bacon cooking.

"Nothing. It's been almost... quiet."

"Well, we can't let our guard down. That's probably just what Voldemort's waiting for."

"Of course."

I scrambled some eggs before pouring them in a separate pan to cook. My stomach growled as the bacon began to smell.

"So, how was your meeting with Dumbledore and Harry?" he asked, putting the paper away. "I never did get the chance to hear about that."

"Well, it was... weird, to be honest," I said, scraping off the eggs onto two plates already set with the finished bacon.

"Thanks. And why? What happened?"

We started eating. "Dumbledore's sort of giving lessons about Voldemort," I said, a bit uneasy. "Like, he wants Harry to understand his background. I have no clue why."

"Well, if Harry knows Voldemort's past, maybe there's something in there that can help him win the war," Cedric reasoned.

"I guess. I mean, I think that's what Dumbledore's trying to get at."

"But why were you there?"

"I think Dumbledore wants my views on something later on... I dunno, he said something about guesswork. It was really confusing."

My plate was clean, but Cedric was only half-done. Goodness I eat too fast.

"You do know lots of stuff that Harry doesn't," Cedric pointed out. "And I mean, if you're looking at Voldemort historically, that would be your forte, right? You're the history fan."

"I guess."

"Anything else happen?"

"We went into a memory in the Pensieve. It was this Ministry bloke going to this house called Gaunt, and we apparently met Voldemort's mum and dad," I said, frowning. "They weren't a pleasant lot."

"Did you expect them to be?"

"No, but... they were dirt poor. I mean, they made the Weasleys look loaded. His mum's family, anyways."

Cedric raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything as he took his now-empty plate and mine to the sink to wash them off. When he was done, he offered his arm to me. "Shall we?"

I rolled my eyes. "Cedric, I'm not going to Splinch myself again, it's fine."

"I wasn't implying that. I simply want to travel with you."

I blushed. "Oh, alright," I muttered, throwing my cloak on and taking his arm. We turned on the spot and popped up at the very edge of Hogsmeade, the edge where Sirius in dog form had met myself, Harry, and the others a little under two years ago. I tried not to look at the mountain as we walked into town, arm in arm.

Cedric took a deep breath and grinned. "It's good to be back, isn't it?" he said cheerily, snow crunching softly under his boots.

"Yeah, it's nice," I commented, shivering a little. "I wonder when the students will get here?"

"We used to go down around nine or ten, didn't we?" he asked, checking his watch.

"I suppose."

Things were actually fairly calm in the village. No one suspicious was around, so Cedric and I permitted ourselves to The Three Broomsticks and get Butterbeers on the go (which Cedric insisted on paying for). The warm liquid made me stop shivering and cheered me up a little. With any luck, I'd get to see Harry and Hyden again, and Launa had mentioned in Hyden's letter last week that she had finished her miracle mind-protection potion for me, so I might be able to get that too. I was going to owe her.

It wasn't long after we had passed the now-closed Zonko's the second time that students started arriving. They were in pairs of two or three, keeping mostly to themselves but still talking lively. Cedric and I greeted students we knew, fellow members of the DA and simply anyone who recognized us. I kept a watchful eye out now for anyone who looked like they needed a good hexing - this day was _not_ going to be disastrous.

It was nearly eleven before we found Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry was in a right state.

"Jennifer!" he cried, almost stomping over to me. "Did you see him?"

"Nice to see you, too," I said sarcastically. "Who?"

"Mundungus!"

"No?"

"He nicked Sirius's stuff!" Harry yelled, kicking snow. Ron and Hermione looked nervous.

"What?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah! He was trying to sell stuff here, and then just Disapparated!"

"Look, I'll... I'll find him tonight Harry. Don't worry about it," I assured him, clenching my fits. That stupid bloody... troll. I was going to kill him, no matter what Dumbledore might or might not say.

"Harry, let's... let's go," Hermione said, tugging him away.

"Bye, Harry."

"Bye, Jen, Cedric," he muttered, and Ron and Hermione led him away down the street.

As soon as they were gone, Cedric said, "Jen, don't go after him."

"Who?" I asked, jaw set firmly, running over Dung's possible hiding spots in my head.

"Mundungus. He's not worth it."

I rounded on him. "Not worth it? Cedric, he stole Sirius's stuff! Which, I might remind you, is mine, Harry, and Hyden's stuff, since he left it to us."

"Look, Jen, it's just—"

"Hey Jennifer, Cedric." Hyden came up to us, frowning slightly. His hair was far too unruly, even for him.

"Hey Hyden, what's up?" I asked.

"Have... have either of you seen Launa around? She said she was going off to the loo, but I can't find her—ah, there she is," he said, spotting Launa, who was coming out of the Three Broomsticks with a package in her hands. "I'll be right back, I've got something to give you, Jen," he called over his shoulder and he ran through the snow towards her.

Cedric smiled and shook his head as we watched Hyden. "He's so whipped."

I just nodded awkwardly. "Yeah. Um... let's go by Honeydukes again, you know, secret passageway and all."

"Right."

We were half-way there when we heard screaming from the other end of the village. We looked at each other, pulled out our wands, and ran pell-melt through the village. My asthma started to kick in and I slowed down, but Cedric kept running, and then I was passed up by Hagrid, who came sprinting by with Harry.

Launa was on the ground, twitching and screaming madly. Beside her in the snow lay a silver and opal necklace in a torn brown packaging. Ron, Hermione, and Hyden were all around her, wide-eyed.

"Out o' the way!" Hagrid yelled, scooping up Launa and running up towards the castle at a breakneck pace.

I took advantage of the moment of shock to cast Anapeo on myself.

"What happened?" Cedric asked, keeping his voice even.

Hyden answered. "She just had this package, and kept saying she needed to deliver it to Dumbledore, and we had a bit of a row 'cuz I told her she shouldn't do it and asked her why she was being so weird. Then I tried to take it from her, but the packaging ripped, and I think she touched the necklace, and... and..." Hyden stopped, his voice stuck in his throat. His eyes were empty.

Harry went to pick up the necklace, but I wheezed out, "Don't touch it!" I waved my wand and rewrapped the package tightly. "We're going to take this up to Dumbledore. Come on, all of us." I started up towards the castle, and everyone but Cedric followed.

"I'm going to make sure nothing else happens," he said, and I nodded.

"Good plan. I'll let Dumbledore know."

And so I led the freezing sixth years up to the castle, carrying the parcel with part of my cloak wrapped around my hand just in case. Better not take any chances.

"I've seen that necklace before," Harry told me, walking beside me. "In Borgin and Burkes."

"It's definitely cursed," I confirmed. "One of the more useful things Fake Moody taught us."

"Least he did us some good."

"But I don't know how powerful this thing is, or what it even did to Launa," I went on, opening the oak front doors. "I mean, she just brushed it, right?"

"That's what Hyden said."

I glanced back at Hyden. Hermione was giving him a concerned look. He looked paler than anyone, dead, almost.

McGonagall met us on the steps of the Grand Staircase. "In my office," she said sharply, and we followed without question. Once there, I set the package on her desk.

"What has happened?" she asked, and Hyden launched into his story again, getting stuck in the same place, so Ron filled her in the rest of the way. At about that time, Filch entered her office. "Potter, what is this?" McGonagall asked me, pointing to the package.

"It's the thing Launa touched. I rewrapped it."

"Take that to Severus, Argus, and take care not to touch anything but the wrapping," McGonagall instructed, and Filch took it and left without comment. "Potter, I want you to escort Mr. Black up to the Hospital Wing and then assist her with Miss Lupin in any way you can," she told me. I nodded, set a firm hand on Hyden's shoulder, and steered him out of the office and up towards the fourth floor.

"She just... she just..." Hyden sputtered, eyes not even focused on where he was going and instead on his thoughts.

"I know Hyden."

"Screaming... and writhing..."

"I know."

"She was in so much pain."

I squeezed his shoulder. "We'll make her better, you know that. She _will _get better."

I didn't even knock on the hospital wing door and instead just ushered Hyden inside. Pomfrey was hovering over Launa, and didn't even look up at us when we closed the door behind us.

"I've got Hyden here, Pomfrey," I told her, making him sit down on a bed. "He needs some sort of shock potion."

"In the cabinet in the back, fourth shelf, green bottle," she said shortly, waving her wand over Launa and muttering incantations. I wanted to make Hyden look away from her, but I went to get the potion instead. At least Launa had stopped screaming, but she was still twitching violently. I grabbed what I hoped was the right potion and uncorked it, poured some in a glass, and put it away before setting the glass in Hyden's hand.

"Drink," I ordered, and he did, mechanically. His eyes were fixed unblinking on Launa's twitching body.

"Potter, need a favor from you," Pomfrey said, looking up at me.

"Anything."

"I need you to take Miss Lupin to St. Mungo's. This is beyond me to heal," she admitted, still waving her wand over Launa.

"Got it," I said, waving my wand and trying to focus. "Expecto Patronum!"

My lion patronus appeared, standing proud. "Go to Sarlanda Malfoy and tell her that Launa Lupin has been cursed and will be arriving at St. Mungo's shortly by house-elf." It nodded its shaggy head and vanished.

Pomfrey gave me a slightly puzzled looked before I yelled, "Kreature!"

With a crack, the disgruntled elf appeared, leering up at me. "Yes, Mistress?" he asked greasily.

"You are to take Launa Lupin to St. Mungo's. Only give her over to Sarlanda Malfoy, got it?" I asked. "And when you're done, report back to me that's she's made it."

"Yes, Mistress," Kreature said, glaring at me and walking over to Launa. He made a face at her shudders, but gripped her wrist tight with his bony little fingers and with a crack, they were gone.

"Lucky house-elves can Apparate out of here," I muttered to myself, checking Hyden's expression again. He had some colour back to his face, but I didn't trust that he was going to be very well.

"Well, Mr. Black... you should stay here for a while to recover from the shock," Pomfrey said, coming to herself and bustling over to him.

"I'm fine," he said blankly.

"Oh no you're not," I said, forcing him back down on the bed when he tried to stand. "You know perfectly well you're not, so you're staying here until Madame Pomfrey is satisfied that you're better."

Hyden didn't protest, and I shot Pomfrey a quick look of thanks before exiting the wing.

In the corridor, Kreature cracked back to me. "Miss Malfoy says that you should not worry and that she has everything under control," he said almost sarcastically.

"Thank you Kreature, that will do. Go back to your work."

With a forced bow, he was gone.

I walked a little ways down the corridor before I stopped and leaned against the stone wall, slid down it, and set my head in my hands. "How could I have let this happen?" I asked myself.

* * *

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	15. The Healer

**SARLANDA**

A Patronus pouncing on you while you're in the middle of enjoying a well-deserved tea break isn't nearly as pleasant as one might think it would be. Especially not when that Patronus is a rather large lion.

"Sarlanda, Launa Lupin has been cursed. I'm sending her to St. Mungo's via House Elf right now," it said in Jennifer's voice, and then dissipated into silvery smoke. I abandoned my mug and sprinted down the stairs to the reception area, hoping that that's where the elf would appear.

Luckily, the area wasn't very crowded, and the elf was easy to spot. It was Kreature, gripping Launa's wrist tightly, and she was twitching and jerking, her eyes snapped shut.

"A delivery to Miss Malfoy from my Mistress," he said, releasing Launa and then disappearing with a crack.

"I need some assistance over here!" I yelled and I pulled out my wand, thinking, _'Wingardium Leviosa!_' She started to levitate, and two of my fellow Healers joined me in escorting her up to the curses wing.

"What's wrong with her?" one of them, Hal, asked.

"Cursed. Don't know by what, but this looks like powerful Dark Magic," I muttered, steering her into the ward. "Hal, get me a Calming Draught now, and Toolley—"

"She's going into convulsions!" Toolley yelled, and so she had. As Hal rushed off to find the potion, Launa had begun writhing about so strongly that she nearly tumbled out of the bed. She eyes shot open and she let out a piercing scream that rattled my entire body.

"Toolley, I need you to get on figuring out what this is, now," I instructed, waving my wand over Launa and muttering incantations. When Toolley didn't move, I yelled, "Now, Toolley!"

She scuttered out of the room and down the hall. I focused all my energy in keeping Launa calm. Slowly, she quieted, and her twitching subsided a little. Hal ran back into the room, a lavender potion in his hand.

"Give that to her quick while I've got her a little under control," I said calmly, keeping up the incantations. Hal did as I instructed, pouring the potion down her throat and wiped stray droplets off her chin. "That's enough. Save the rest for in about six hours." I stopped waving my wand and nearly passed out. I steadied myself on a chair as I kept an eye on Launa's face. It was like she was having a very vivid and terrifying dream, but she wasn't screaming or looking like she was going to convulse and flop out of the bed.

"Hal, make sure that she'll stay in the bed. I don't care how you do it, just make it safe."

"Alright. What about you?" he asked, a worried expression on his face.

I pressed a hand to my temple. My head was still swimming a little. "I'm going to go help Toolley with research. We need to figure out how to reverse this as soon as possible."

"You should take a minute," Hal advised.

"I'm fine. There's work to be done," I said a bit irritably and then walked out of the ward to find Toolley.

She was in the curse ward's small library, surrounded by chaos and her nose in a book.

"Anything?" I asked. She jumped a little, but shoved her thick glasses up her nose.

"I think I've narrowed it down to this book," she said, showing me the cover. "It's all on ancient cursed talismans and amulets and such. We think she touched something, right?"

"I'll ask my resources," I said, waving my wand and making a Patronus. "Go ask Jennifer to come tell me what happened," I told my wolf, and it nodded, turned, and ran into the wall.

Toolley gave me a curious look before going back to the book. "I mean, it's plausible. Some of the symptoms for this, for example—" She held up the book and pointed to a large necklace, "—sound quite like what was happening to her."

"We'll find out in a minute," I said. "Keep looking."

With a crack, Kreature and Jennifer appeared in the hallway. Jen looked in a bit of a state of shock.

"Thanks Kreature, I'll call you when I need you," she told him, and he bowed stiffly before disappearing. "Is Launa okay?" she asked a bit frantically.

"She's in the ward and stable," I said. "I need you to tell me what happened so we can figure out a cure."

"Well, according to Hyden, she had this package, and it got ripped, and she just brushed this silver and opal necklace and then she was screaming and levitated and writhing all over the place." Jennifer shuddered. "It was scary."

"You're sure it was a necklace?" I asked, one hand reaching for the library's doorknob.

"Silver and opals," she nodded.

I pushed back into the room and said, "Toolley, find that page with the necklace on it." She flipped to it and handed me the book. I showed Jennifer the picture. "Like this?" I asked hurriedly.

"Yeah, that's it," she replied, frowning. "That's what cursed Launa?"

"Yes. Thank you Jennifer."

"No problem."

"Can I ask another favor?"

"Of course."

"I need you to tell Remus what's happened," I said briskly, marking the page. "I'm going to be working on this, and no one else here knows him... I'm sure Dumbledore would send someone anyways."

Jennifer nodded solemnly. "Right. I'll get on that," she replied, and she walked down the corridor.

* * *

"Sarlanda, I need you to give me a report."

Donatello, the head of the Curse Ward, and I were in Launa's room. He had just finished checking her over himself. Hopefully, he would be able to confirm Toolley and my suspicions. The man knew his curses.

"Convulsions, screaming, nightmare-like dream state," I said. "Toolley and I believe she's been cursed by this." I held up the book for him to see. As he read it, I said, "Over half the symptoms are accurate, and my eye witness confirmed that this is what she touched."

"Did she merely brush it or actually grab it?" Don asked, nodding as he finished the page.

"Brush it."

"Good, good. Had she put it on, she would have died almost instantly," he said in almost a bored voice. "You and Miss Polk are correct. Unfortunately, this is rather difficult to cure and will take months, if we can do it correctly." He coughed. "Several complex incantations as well as a potion will be required, and the potion alone will take two months to brew. I'll need to start gathering ingredients right away."

"Sir, if I may," I started, glancing down the potion making instructions. "I know you have a lot on your hands. We've been getting new patients almost daily—"

"I'm aware, Miss Malfoy. Your point?"

"I would like to be in charge of healing Miss Lupin, if you don't mind," I said matter-of-factly, my eyebrows high.

"Miss Malfoy, I'm grateful for your concern, but this will take most complex magic—"

"Magic that I am certainly capable of performing," I cut him off. "May I also remind you that I scored straight O's on my N.E.W.T.'s and that was the reason, so you said, that you took me on in your ward?"

He stopped. "Miss Malfoy, you've quite an attitude."

"I'm simply stating the facts," I said strongly, raising my eyebrows.

He sighed. "And confidence. I will of course supervise you, but start collecting ingredients for this. And make it snappy, we don't know how much time we have."

I gave him a wry smile. "Thank you, sir," I said, taking the book back from him and practically running out of the ward.

* * *

Later that evening, I stopped back by Launa's ward to see how she was doing. She was still alone, which was good, in a twisted way. I checked her pulse - still elevated, but nothing too serious.

I started to tidy up around her room when I heard a knock on the door. "Come in," I said, getting my hand ready to spring to my wand if it were to be an... _unfavorable_ visitor. In walked Remus followed by Colin. Colin looked only at the floor, a bit nervous as well. Remus looked even more disheveled than usual, which I had personally thought wasn't possible. His eyes went straight to his sleeping daughter.

"Oh Launa," he said weakly, going to his knees next to her bed and gently brushing her dusty blonde hair back from her face. I pushed a chair up behind him.

"Remus, sit," I said firmly, and he stood a little and did so, not taking his eyes off his daughter for a moment.

"How... how is she?" he finally asked hoarsely.

"Better. Much more stable. Her pulse is still a little high and I can see her eyes moving, so I think she's dreaming vividly, but she's stopped really twitching a lot," I said in a calm voice.

"Will you be able to cure her?" he asked, glancing up at me.

"Yes," I replied. "We've found the cure, it'll just take time. The potion takes two months and a week to brew, and then there'll be several incantations to help her out. If everything goes according to plan, she'll be back just a little after Christmas."

Remus was squeezing Launa's hand in his. "Sarlanda, you're sure?"

"Quite sure." I set a hand on his shoulder for a moment. "I promise she'll get better. I'm attending to her personally."

He sighed shakily. "...Thank you. For everything," he replied, and turned his attention back to Launa. I took my hand off his shoulder and motioned to Colin for him to follow me into the hallway. We exited and I shut the door softly.

"He needs privacy," I explained.

"Yeah," Colin agreed, still looking at the tiled floor. "Are you... are you sure you're going to be able to cure her?"

"Oh yes, I didn't lie. The potion is going to be a little tricky, but I don't think the spells will be much of a problem, especially if some of the other Healers help me."

"You're brilliant, you know," Colin said. His voice sounded far away. "I was rubbish at Potions."

"Thanks."

"So if you need anything, like, ingredients or something..."

"Thank you, Colin." Why was he saying all this? Did he doubt my abilities to find my own potion ingredients? "Look, I've got some more rounds to make."

"Right, sorry. Have a good night."

"Thank you. And thanks for bringing Remus around. Just shut the door after he's done."

"I will," he replied, and I left, a bit confused.

What was Colin's problem?

* * *

**Hey everyone :D I just want to say thank you for all the reads and reviews! It means a lot 3**

**Special super-duper thanks to my beta _battalions_ for helping me get a title for this chapter, and to _Psyche101, Twilight016 _and _cahsm_ for the reviews.**

**There's still a semi-forentertainment poll on my profile and I enjoy the input. **


	16. A Dance

**JENNIFER**

I will never forget the look on Remus's face when I told him that Launa was in St. Mungo's. Ashen, grey, sucked of any hope, replaced with despair and fear. He didn't cry, but I think it would have been better if he had. When Mrs. Weasley came to the door to see what was wrong, she didn't ask any questions. She simply put her hand on his shoulder and steered him into the kitchen to make some tea.

"Jennifer, dear, do you want a cup?" she asked, busying herself over the kettle.

"No thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I… I have some business to finish up at Hogwarts," I said, unsticking my throat. I called Kreature and we Apparated back to the Hospital Wing. Kreature looked really fed up with me, and I wondered if he was thinking about slitting my throat so he wouldn't have to be my transport. Whatever, he was a bloody elf, this was his job.

Harry and Hermione were in the Wing with Hyden when I entered. "Where's Ron?" I asked, pulling up another chair.

"He went to get Hyden's guitar," Harry explained. "I only just got here myself."

"Right." Hyden just stared up a the ceiling, blinking far too little. "She's gonna be fine, Hyden. Sarlanda's found the cure and is working on it right now. Maybe… maybe in a few days or something I can take you out there to visit her," I offered gently. He shut his eyes and sighed, but he didn't say anything.

"Oh, Jennifer, this was in her bag," Hermione said, pulling a small potion bottle out and a note. "I think they're for you."

I accepted them and flipped open the note. It just read, "_Jennifer, try this out. If it works, I can make more. Love, Launa_." I nodded and stuck them in my cloak pocket. "Yeah, thanks, Hermione." I stood again. "I've got to find Cedric… have any of you talked to Dumbledore yet?"

Harry shook his head. "McGonagall said that he's not here."

I frowned. "Alright, well, I assume she'll tell him when he gets back. Write me if anything else comes up."

"We will," Harry promised, and we hugged before I left for Hogsmeade.

The walk through the snow was silent to my ears, but roaring with thought inside my head. I was trying to make sense of the day, but nothing really connected. A cursed necklace? Where had she gotten _that?_ Had she been hexed into taking it? And she was giving it to Dumbledore, or supposed to be? How had this happened right under our noses? Was it the work of Death Eaters? No, we would have seen them… hopefully. But maybe… maybe Harry's theory about Draco Malfoy was right…

"Jen? Is everything… well, alright?"

I looked up from my feet and saw Cedric standing next to the fence, near where Launa had gotten cursed. His cheeks and nose were red from the cold, his thick, brown hair was messy, and his eyes were full of concern.

I took a shuddering breath before replying, "Well, Launa's at St. Mungo's and Hyden's in the Hospital Wing being treated for shock. I had to go tell Remus what happened, and I think I made him cry. Couldn't be peachier."

He frowned. "Look, the kids are headed back up to the school, so once they're all gone we're in the clear, and then…" He hesitated, rubbing the back of his head.

"And then?" I prompted.

"And then I think we should have the night to ourselves," he said, nodding.

"…Wait, what?" I asked, confused. "Do we… actually have the same night off for once?"

"I think so," he replied with his old half-smirk, the one that used to infuriate me just two years ago. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Well… as long as nothing else bad happens, I think that can be arranged."

"Knock on wood."

I laughed, not because of the Muggle saying, but more because I got the mental image of Oliver Wood being hit with a Beater bat. But I didn't really need to explain myself to Cedric. He smiled with me, and in less than half an hour, we were Aparating back to the flat.

I excused myself to the bathroom to wash my face and give myself a good pep talk. With water running down the back of my neck, I examined myself in the mirror thoroughly. My hazel eyes were wide and alert, maybe even a little too much so, my dark red hair messy, very messy (I finger combed it and said, "Good enough"), and my face was paler than usual. But even as overworked at I looked, maybe I was still attractive? Who knows, but maybe, because Cedric was still around. Though, I did hope he wasn't that shallow…

"Alright, Jennifer Potter," I started, looking myself in the eye, trying to intimidate myself. "I don't care what happened today, or what might happen tomorrow, but as long as you and Cedric are in this flat together, you are going to _have fun, dammit!_ Or at least enjoy yourself." I wasn't scary enough. "And if you bloody don't, well… there'll be hell to pay. If you don't… you're going to go make yourself read the most difficult Transfiguration book you can find. Got it?" I nodded. "Right. Then go out there and… do things."

I'm completely mental.

And apparently Cedric thought so too; he raised his eyebrows at me as I walked back into the living room. "So, we're going to have fun?" he asked, barely containing a laugh behind his twisted smirk.

"Oh, shut it," I said grumpily, aiming a kick at him that missed by miles. He laughed and pulled me into a hug too forcefully. We fell over onto the couch, both of us laughing this time. "What are you trying to do, kill me?" I asked, more playful.

"Only keep you here so you don't go gallivanting off, saving the world or something," he replied.

"But it's my _job_ to save the world!"

"Just your own world, though," he added, softer. I stopped laughing when I noticed he had was looking at me intently. "I don't want you going off and dying on me."

"I won't, but I've got to keep everyone safe. My own self isn't that high of a concern."

"It should be," he muttered.

"There are far more important people out there than me. I mean, what am I? I'm here to protect my brother, to help him bring down Voldemort. It's not like I'm that important, because there are a lot of other people out there doing the same thing."

Cedric let out a small laugh, almost to himself. "Jen, you're being thick." I frowned. "But really. Ever think that maybe… I dunno, _I_ need you? Or your other friends, like Brittany or Ophilia? Think of how many times I'd be dead if it hadn't been for you."

I was surprised. "I… I hadn't really… thought about it like that."

"I know you haven't." He pulled me closer, my head resting on his shoulder. "I just… I don't think you know at all how much you mean to me. If anything happened to you… I don't know what I'd do."

I swallowed, unsure of how to respond. Finally, I said, "Cedric, I just… I want to keep you safe, because, you know, you mean a lot to me, too."

"But can't I protect you, too? I mean, between us, you're the most likely to be in danger, so…"

"But—"

"What, you don't think I can't take care of myself?" Cedric asked, and I wasn't sure if he was being serious or teasing.

"Of course you can, but—"

"Come off it, Jen. You can't protect everyone, and you don't need to." He was definitely being serious now. "I love you. Take care of yourself."

Before I could argue more, he kissed me. His lips were hot, soft, and slightly hungry, and I couldn't help but give in to him and quit arguing. Maybe he was right. Maybe I needed to focus on myself and less on other people. Who knew.

When Cedric pulled away, he was grinning. "What?" I asked.

"This song," he said, nodding his head towards the wireless. "Listen."

So I did. And the Weird Sisters' lyrics came to me clearly. I grinned. "I remember this one."

"They played it at the Yule Ball," Cedric added.

I scrambled off of him and yanked him to his feet. "Come on."

"What?" he asked, laughing. "_You_ want to dance?"

"More like move around erratically, but sure." I stuck my tongue out at him and started doing some sort of jig that I was making up on the spot.

We danced until we were laughing so hard our stomachs hurt and were sweating and our cheeks ached, then we collapsed on the couch in a silly mess.

"Was this… fun?" Cedric asked breathlessly.

"Yes," I replied, kissing him.

"Good."

"We should do this more often."

"As often as we can manage," he promised. And a bit by accident, we fell asleep on the couch, snuggling and pretending that all that existed was this flat and the happiness inside of it.

* * *

**Well, hope this chapter made some people happy ^^**

**Much thanks to _Psyche101, disney-hp-freak, _and _cahsm_ for the reviews! :D**


	17. God and Goddess

The hall seemed to float on the bed of clouds. There were no walls, just golden columns going up into infinity. I looked down and saw that I was barefoot and wearing a white, flowing dress. I wiggled my toes against the white stones on the floor.

"Jennifer."

My head snapped up and I stared down the room, which seemed to go on forever and ever into the clouds. I started walking towards the voice, which kept calling my name. It wasn't exactly walking though, more like a floating. I couldn't see anything beyond this hall and the clouds, but that didn't stop me from trying.

"Jennifer."

Suddenly, I was at the end, and leaning against some golden railing was a man, tall and god-like. I know that he's been the one calling my name. He turned.

"Lance?" I asked cautiously, both because I wasn't exactly sure if that _was_ Lance, but if it was, then I need to back away.

His face broke into a smile, and it's kind and radiant and not at all like the Lance I knew. His dark hair was combed and neat, and he was wearing a white toga, adding to the godly effect. His expression was what really threw me off, though. That smile… it wasn't hungry. Or snide. But genuine. My heart seemed to glow.

"Yes," he said, holding out a hand to me. So it _was_ him. But… how? "Don't be afraid," he added when he saw me hesitate. "I'm not going to hurt you." Slowly, I placed my hand in his, and he took it lightly, his hand warm around mine. "I want to show you something."

He started pulling me towards the railing, and I didn't resist. As I gripped the rail with my spare hand, I leaned over and gasped.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Lance asked brightly, looking out with me.

"It's… beautiful."

Spread out before us, under the clouds, was an expansive white city. There was a golden mist covering it, with trees and flowers springing between buildings and along streets, and in the middle of the city was a great domed building with elegant statues along the roof.

"Do you want to visit it?" he asked, and I nodded eagerly. He waved his hand over the rail and it disappeared. He led me onto a cloud and we started floating down, down into the city.

"What is this place?" I asked, turning my head to try and see everything we passed.

"You know it," Lance replied with a small, mysterious smile. "Let's go."

Our feet touched down on the stone street and we started walking. The stone was warm and a soft grey colour, smooth beneath my feet. As I looked around, the architecture fascinated me. No building was the same design, but everything was made of some sort of beautifully coloured stone. Light green limestone, black and white marble, tan sandstone – everything was columns and arches and spires, creating wondrous houses and shops selling the most exotic foods, clothing, spell books and potion ingredients anyone could imagine, far beyond what I knew.

"How… ?" I couldn't finished my question. I couldn't form it in my mind.

"Let's keep going," he said, pulling me onwards.

"Is this a… wizarding city?" I asked, uncertain. I thought so, but assumptions were too convenient.

"Yes. Look." He pointed just ahead of us, a sort of town square within the expanse of houses and shops. There was a great fountain in the center with statues of the four founders of Hogwarts, standing tall and proud and each facing a different direction, bluer than blue water streaming from their wand tips and into the pool. And sitting on the edge of the pool were three people, talking animatedly.

"Harry?" I asked, approaching him, Ron and Hermione, but he didn't turn. "Harry!" Still, no response, and I was just a few feet from him.

"They can't see or hear us when we're in this state," Lance explained, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

"In this… state?" I asked, not turning from my little brother. I could have easily reached over and brushed the black hair from his eyes like I had so many times before when we were younger.

"It's the only way we can visit the city. If they don't know we're here," Lance elaborated.

"They look so… relaxed."

"Everyone here is. This city has always been and always will be in total prosperity."

I almost believed it, but then remembered the threat to us all, to this prosperity. "What about Voldemort?"

"Voldemort?" Lance laughed. "He's dead. He's been dead for years."

I looked carefully at Harry. He didn't seem any older than he did last time I saw him, so how could that be?

"Is anyone else here?" I asked, wanting to continue my investigation.

"Yes – everyone's here," he responded, and led me on around the fountain and down another street. As we walked, the city seemed to wake up. More and more people came out of their houses or opened their shops, and I recognized almost all of them. Fred and George had a brightly coloured joke shop, and Ophilia was on a poster advertising a dance show. We walked through the twisted streets, and I smiled at everyone I knew. I got up the courage to start looking in windows for more people, and near the end of the fifth street, I gasped.

"Cedric!" I yelled, pressing myself against the window of his house. He was smiling, laughing, and swinging a child around in his arms. I didn't need to see it - I just knew that underneath his shirt, he had no scars. But who the child was, it could only be his… but who else? I called his name again, slapping my palm on the window. Why wouldn't he just look at me?

"Jennifer, he can't see you," Lance reminded me, pulling me back from the window. His fingers touched my face and I realized then that I was crying. "Let's go."

"But… I…"

"Does he look happy?"

I hesitated. "Yes."

"What more could you ask for then? We are separate from him, from all of them."

"Nothing, I guess," I said after some thought. He took my hand again and we walked on through the city.

Through the haze of golden mist and some unknown time, we were sitting at a table across the street from the huge domed building. I was holding a coffee in one hand and Lance's own hand in the other. The coffee was smooth and rich and warm, sending comforting heat through my entire body.

There was no warning or even a thought for it; Lance leaned across the table and kissed me. It was soft and kind and warm and _perfect_. The best kiss I'd ever experienced. He pulled away slowly, and as he brushed hair from my face, whispered, "I love you."

"I… I love you, too." I didn't know why I said it, but it felt true and like my own words.

He smiled into the second kiss, and when he pulled back, he motioned to the domed building. "Know what that is?"

"What?"

"That's the library."

I tore my eyes away from Lance and marveled it, wondering what it was like inside.

"It's the most sacred building in the city," he continued, sipping his own drink. "Everyone goes there."

"So who built it?"

He raised his eyebrows at me, but it was playful, not condescending. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

I frowned. "No? And what about Voldemort?"

Now he frowned. "Don't you remember?"

"What?"

"Jennifer, we killed him. Together."

"We… what?" I couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth, but in my heart I knew he was speaking the truth.

"Together," he repeated.

"And this city…" I had a realization. "This city is… ours?"

He grinned, the first grin I'd ever seen on his face. It was beautiful, reaching his grey eyes and lighting up all his features. "Actually, it's yours. I just helped a little."

I couldn't speak for a moment. "M-mine?"

"You designed it."

And everything made sense. The architecture, the people, the atmosphere, the _library_—all of it was just how I would make a city given the opportunity. It was… dare I say it… _perfection_.

"There's one last thing you should see," he said, and he pulled me up and started walking briskly through the streets. There were many more people now, and it was almost hard to maneuver. Lance led me down some side streets, through several turns, and then to outside a secluded house with a bay window out front. He dropped my hand and motioned to the window for me to look in. I didn't question him, just did it.

I covered my mouth with my hand, pressing my fingers into my cheeks as if that would stop the tears. In the living room sat a man and a woman, the man with black hair and glasses and the woman with dark red hair and green eyes that seemed almost impossible. Lily and James Potter. It _was_ impossible.

"I brought them back," Lance said, putting an arm around my shoulder. "We figured it out together, and I wanted you to be happy."

"But…"

"It was my wedding present."

I looked up at him, my eyes swimming with tears. I started to say something, but couldn't. The words stuck in my throat. I glanced down at my left hand and saw something I hadn't noticed before – a glittering black and gold ring on my ring finger, and a silver band just above that.

"Time to go, Jennifer."

Back through the streets we walked. I stopped crying, but he didn't take his arm off my shoulders. We made it back to the place where we had entered, and ascended into the clouds. As I glanced once more down to the city, Lance said, "This is our world. And we are it's god and goddess." And through the clouds, we were floating… floating…

* * *

**Definitely one of my favorite chapters I've ever written.**

**Much love to _Psyche101, chasm, _and _Shaybo27_ for the reviews :)**


	18. Unwanted

**CEDRIC**

There were some days when I felt like I would never hear the words "I love you" leave her lips again.

And then there were some when I was certain everything would last forever, as ridiculous as that sounded.

Laying awake at five-thirty in the morning with Jennifer actually _sleeping_ next to me was the miracle that made me believe the latter. She looked peaceful in her sleep this time, not frowning or chewing on her cheek or twitching. Even the bruises under her eyes didn't look as dark and threatening. This close, I could count the freckles splattered on her cheeks and smell the dust of the bookstore in her hair.

But she turned and squirmed and the magic was broken, her eyes blinking open and not really seeing anything for a few moments, and when they did, they looked confused.

"Morning," I greeted, gently pressing my lips to her forehead.

"Morning," she replied, frowning slightly.

"What?"

"I… nothing." She rolled out of bed and I did the same.

"Nothing _what_?"

"Just… weird dream."

Here we go again. "Want to talk about it?" I followed her to the door of the bedroom, preparing myself for another shouting match. Or maybe a door in the face. Who knew with her.

She shrugged. "Not really. It wasn't anything important." But she wouldn't turn around and face me. "French toast okay for breakfast?"

I considered my options. If I pushed her buttons now, it probably wouldn't be good. But later, she would be more awake and ready to hex me… or maybe it really was nothing. Maybe I was being paranoid. "Yeah, sounds great."

This was weird. She was being passive. Jennifer was never passive. But I tried to shrug it off as I showered. It wasn't my business, anyways.

Yet, I had the nagging feeling all through getting ready for the day that there was just something she wasn't telling me, something I should probably know about, or at least might want to know. What had she dreamt about this time? Something to do with Lance? Maybe he sending her nightmares again. It didn't _seem_ like that had been the case, but then again… well, I wouldn't know unless I asked her. And I wasn't sure I wanted to do that, either.

Breakfast was good, as always. Left to my own devices, I probably would have starved off. But the French toast was nice and fluffy and the bacon delicious, and I ate with no complaints.

"What's your schedule today?" I asked, catching her eye. She didn't look tired, just… like she wasn't really _here_.

"Oh, erm… work and then Brittany asked me if I could watch Diana while she was on patrol. So I'll be back after midnight. What about you?"

"I have a double shift today. We lost Charlotte over the weekend."

"How? Death Eaters?"

"No. Dementors." The word stuck in my throat, and I saw Jennifer twitch. "I've got to go in and cover all her work until we get a replacement. If we get one."

We were silent as I got up and set my plate in the sink. I went to wash it but she stopped me. "I'll do it. You need to get going."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

She started to pull away, but I set my hands on her shoulders and kissed her deeply. She was a bit surprised, but relaxed, her lips so soft on mine. "I love you," I whispered as I pulled away, my lips brushing her warm cheek. And I meant it, every time I said it, possibly more each time.

"I love you, too," she responded, her eyelashes fluttering so slightly, my stomach bubbling with heat.

"See you later, then."

"Yeah. Have a safe day."

"You, too."

Then I had to let go and walk out the door, locking it behind me and Apparating across town to the alley outside the new entrance to the Ministry.

If there was ever a dingier place to have the hidden entrance to the most influential place in England, I couldn't even _begin_ to imagine it. The old subway loo had six stalls and a line of at least three wizards in front of each, all waiting to flush themselves in. I got in line, trying to find something pleasant to look at, but not finding anything (as usual). The mirror along the back wall was covered in water spots and dirt, the sinks cracked and aged. Several tiles on the floor were missing, showing the once-white mortar beneath.

It was my turn now. I wrinkled my nose as I stepped in the toilet bowl and flushed myself down into the Ministry. It was still disgusting, even if I didn't actually get wet. Once in the grand entrance hall, I walked away quickly, eager to escape to my office. I crammed into the lift to the fourth floor and the Creatures department. I poked my head into the Goblin office to see if my dad was there yet, but he wasn't. Frowning, I went on down the hallway into the Beings section and into my tiny office.

As usual, there was a stack of paperwork on my desk that was about a foot away from reaching the ceiling and a second pile of "To Be Filed" on the floor growing at an alarming rate. I would have to make a trip down to the filing room today, otherwise tomorrow I wouldn't be able to get in the door. I stepped carefully over files of illegal creature breeding and rumors of Kelpie attacks off the coast of Ireland to reach my chair, only to find a purple memo on it.

"What in the name of Merlin is this?" I muttered, grabbing it and flipping it open. In curly gold script, it read:

"_Mr. Diggory, _

_Due to the unfortunate circumstances that resulted in Mrs. Grey's death, I would like to meet with you at nine o'clock to discuss prevention of future attacks._

_DD_"

What did _Desdemona_ want? She hardly ever sent out messages to anyone, let alone me. I took the note with me as I scrambled out of my office and down the hall to hers, through the door with the gold plaque that reads, "_Desdemona Dorkis, Head of Beings Division_," and found her sitting at her desk. Her office was immaculately clean and much larger than my own, filing cabinets lining the wall and several portraits of famous wizards and some odd creatures above them, almost a story higher.

Desdemona was a small, older witch, but anyone who knew her knew not to cross her. Normally, her gray hair was in tight curls and she dressed neatly (usually in a shade of turquoise), but today was not the case. Today, she had dark circles under her eyes, her hair ratty and her clothes rumpled. Must have been a hell of a night.

"Ah, Mr. Diggory," she said wearily, not even attempting to smile. "Early, as always."

"I try to be punctual."

"Of course. Sit down." I did, unsure of what she was going to say. No one in the department ever really knew what she was going to do or say next – the woman lived in her own head. "Now, Mrs. Grey's death is a shock to us all. She was a great witch, and even better at her job." I merely nodded. "And you of course know that her death was no accident."

"Dementors," I offered.

"Yes," she said, pulling out a pipe and lighting it with a tap of her wand. "This Dementor problem is getting out of hand very quickly, and that's why I'm making the executive decision to create a new office."

Well, _that_ was a surprise. "A department for…?"

"Dealing with Dementors and Inferi, specifically. It will respond to reports of Dementor and Inferi attacks, educate people, and train all Ministry officials in handling such beings."

"And what do I have to do with this?" I asked, unsure if my hypothesis was correct.

"I want you to lead the new department," she said simply, blowing smoke rings up to the ceiling. "It's a hard job, but you're the only person I can spare who would have any idea of what they're doing."

I sighed. Yes, this was where I thought she was going. "Alright, but… me? Are you sure I'm qualified for—"

"You can produce a Patronus and I've seen you with a Flame Charm," she said, the corners of her mouth turning up just a tiny bit. "Believe me, you're more than qualified for the job."

"So… what do I do?"

"Well, first thing is to get yourself approved by the Minister, but I've already done that for you," she said, pushing a file towards me. "Second is to get yourself organized, which is what I suggest you do next. Then you need to start getting some people to work for you and train them. You'll also need to answer any and all owls directed towards you."

She was so sure that I could do this, so confident that I had any clue what I was doing that I didn't want to say anything to the contrary. "So… I'll be in my office then?"

"Yes. Get my son-in-law to take down all your old filing. You don't need to be bothered with that now, eh?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

She waved her pipe around, getting smoke everywhere. "And none of this 'Ma'am' stuff anymore. We're colleagues, Cedric, not teacher and student."

"Alright… Desdemona."

"That's better." She finished off the pipe and nodded to me. "I'll make sure the owls get redirected."

"Thanks," I said, standing and grabbing the file. I walked out of the office a little dazed. A Dementor and Inferi unit? Were things really getting that bad?

I decided I would visit Lewis before going back to my office to start cleaning. He was busy as always, scribbling furiously on some letter to someone that Desdemona obviously couldn't have been bothered with. He glanced up when I entered and held up a finger until he was done writing the letter.

"There," he muttered, signing it as Desdemona. "What do you need, Cedric?"

"Apparently, I'm to have you take all my filing down to the room to get dealt with."

"Look here, I'm not—"

"Desdemona's orders," I added, cutting him off. "I'm sorry, I've got an entire new office to run."

Grumbling, Lewis rolled up his letter and put his quill away before following me to my office. "This is going to take a bloody cart. How often do you actually _file_ your paperwork?" he asked sternly, adjusting his glasses under his sandy blonde hair.

"When I can," I replied defensively.

"Oh, then you must be _so_ busy," Lewis muttered, but I ignored him.

"Look, can this happen soon or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, let me go find a cart," he said airily as he left.

I sighed and ran my hands through my hair, making it stick up in odd places. "I guess that I'd better get this organized so Lewis doesn't hex me," I thought out-loud.

So I began to sift through all the files and papers and redistributed piles into more organized piles than they actually had been before. To me, at least, they made sense. To file… to keep… to pitch… stuff I would need… stuff I didn't care about anymore… I worked like this for almost an hour, and Lewis still hadn't come back with a cart.

"Lazy bum," I muttered under my breath, heaving a pile of files into the corner of my desk. "It doesn't take _this_ long to find a cart…"

As I went for another stack, a purple memo zoomed in and ran straight into my head, startling me and making me scatter files everywhere. "Merlin's pants!" I yelled as it started spiraling around the cramped office. I snatched it out of the air and opened it with one hand, rubbing the sore spot on my head with the other.

"_Cedric,_

_We need to talk now. My office._

_Kingsley_"

"Great, just… great," I said, shaking. What was going on _now?_ I left for the Auror's offices, imagining the worst. Someone had to be dead, or injured, or missing. And just _what_ was I going to do if it was one of my parents, or Jared, or Colin, or… Jennifer? I didn't think I could live without any of them.

It wasn't that long to get to Kingsley's office, and he shut the door behind me swiftly. One wall had pictures of Sirius on it with a list of possible locations that we both knew were balderdash. Another had more pictures, these ones of escaped and the most wanted Death Eaters. Kingsley himself looked a bit unsure, but only a little. Kingsley almost always kept a cool head.

"Cedric, I've just gotten a Patronus."

"Dead?" I asked shakily, gripping the desk for support. My knees wanted to give out.

"No, not dead. But your parents were attacked."

What? Attacked? "But, they're—"

"They were under protection, yes," Kingsley said wearily. "We think their location might have somehow been given away. But they're fine."

"Fine?" I asked, getting a little irritated. "They were just _attacked_, how can they be fine?"

"Amos assured me that they were. They're on the run, but unharmed."

It was a moment or two before I could even think, let alone sputter out, "But… how?"

"I don't know, Cedric." Kingsley was frowning now. "We're all working to secure a location for them, though."

"They could stay with me—"

"You and Jennifer have got enough problems of your own," Kingsley cut me off. "You need to let us worry about them."

I was too stunned to argue. "But—"

"I wanted to let you know what was happening, not for you to argue with me," Kingsley said, his voice raised slightly. "Now, please, go back to work. We all have more than enough on our plates."

This wasn't logical at all. Why _shouldn't _I be helping my parents? But instead of continuing on the argument, I sighed and said, "Yeah. Keep me updated, will you?"

"To the best of my abilities."

I trudged back down the lift, down to my office, down into the place where I could be upset without anyone seeing. He hadn't even _bothered_ to ask if I could help… because I had to help. They were my parents. And I didn't know what I would do without them.

As I sat down at my desk, I wondered if this was what Jennifer felt like sometimes – this helpless feeling of not being able to do anything, this feeling of resentment that came with not being trusted in your abilities. I guess I should have felt this before, but I never had… I didn't like it at all. It felt unnatural. I sighed for maybe the hundredth time just this morning before making myself get to work on the newest office at the Ministry.

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**I'm actually quite fond of this chapter :)  
****Let me know how you like reading from Cedric's POV.**

**Thanks to _Psyche101_ for being my constant reviewer. You're awesome!**


	19. Silence In The Ward

**HYDEN**

Silence, silence, silence. That's all anyone heard from me these days. There was quite a din in the Great Hall on this Saturday morning, but it sounded far away. The clatter of forks and chatter of students was lost on me, melding in with my heartbeat and the blood in my veins and my own thoughts. There was no one to talk to, no one to talk to me. Harry and Ron usually slept in, and though Hermione was awake and eating across from me, she was engrossed in an Ancient Runes book and wasn't even paying attention to the food on her plate, let alone me. Not that I minded or even really cared.

I played with my eggs with a spoon. I didn't feel like eating. I just wanted something to do while I passed the time to see if Colin would send a letter. I needed incentive to be engaged today, and seeing Launa might help.

I sighed. Did I really want to see her? Every time I did, I couldn't sleep for a good two nights afterwards. Seeing her in that... _coma_, or whatever, was haunting. I couldn't get the image of her blank face out of my head. The pale, unsmiling, almost pained expression was so different from the sweet, mischievous and honey-coloured face that I grew up with, fell in love with. And it was draining me, going to see her in this state, but I couldn't keep away. I felt like a Muggle drug addict or something, continually doing something that was bad for me, yet not being able to stop.

I jumped when an envelope fell in my eggs. Hermione looked up and wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, poor aim this morning," she commented, closing the book and receiving her copy of _The Daily Prophet_ from the owl that brought it to her.

"Yeah," I agreed quietly as I ripped it open. It was, indeed, from Colin.

_Hyden,_

_Today's good. Already cleared it with McGonagall and Dumbledore. Meet you at the front gates at eleven. _

_Colin_

"Who's it from?"

"Colin," I said, crumpling the letter and egg-dampened envelope and stuffing them in my pocket.

Hermione made that face, the one that's slightly disapproving and, "I-don't-think-you-should-be-doing-this" and also worried. "Hyden, I... I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do, Hermione."

"You're just so torn up every time you come back, and—"

"Drop it."

"I know you don't sleep—"

"Yeah? Who told you that?" I asked, agitated.

Hermione bit her lip. "Look, I'm just worried about you. All of us are."

"Well, it'd be nice if you lot didn't talk about me behind my back."

Now Hermione sighed, standing to follow me as I started walking out of the Great Hall. "Hyden, I went through this last year with Harry and I refuse to do it again. Just talk to us. We're worried."

I turned on her in the Entrance Hall. I didn't want to be mean, just for her to leave me alone. I didn't need help. "You don't know what this feels like, Hermione," I growled, and she took a step back. "You don't know what I feel like when I see her, or when I can't see her. This, this... _hole_."

"Help us understand, then." Hermione was pleading with me now.

"Just... I need to finish some homework." And then I left, heading for the library at least, but I doubted I would actually do work.

I entered the library and took a deep breath. It smelled like old parchment and ink, sounded like rustling pages and the coughing or whispers of students. Or maybe that was the books whispering. I had heard stories from Jennifer that certain books would talk to you. I looked around. Pince was lurking in the bookshelf aisles, making sure every book was perfectly straight and in order. A group of fourth years were at a table off to my right, giggling and pretending to be engrossed in their essays. I smiled slightly at the intercom speaker that was still stuck to the wall. They were still all over the school, but I especially appreciated the ones in the library. The year had been far too quiet without the other Marauders. I had considered once or twice going back on them and doing some announcements, but without Umbridge was purpose, and without Sarlanda, I had no way to make a new speaker, because I had no idea what spell she had done to transfigure the first one.

At any rate, I found a corner to hide in before it was time to slough through the snow down to the gates to meet Colin. I pulled out some parchment and a quill with all the intent in the world to write a new song, but in the hour and a half, nothing came to mind. I had no way to express what I was feeling in words. It hurt too bloody much.

So at half past ten, I packed up and left for the grounds. At least it wasn't snowing, but it was nearly knee-deep and I had to use my wand to melt a path. My trainers were soaked by the time I had gotten there, and I was cold despite my cloak. Colin was waiting for me at the gates, his dark blue cloak fluttering in the slight wind and his dark brown hair obscuring his vision.

"Right on time," Colin said, opening the gates for me and resealing them with a few waves of his wand. He studied me for a moment, his blue eyes taking me in. "Hyden, you look... well, like hell."

"Thanks," I muttered sarcastically. "Can we go?"

He sighed. "Alright, we'll go." He offered me his arm and turned on the spot.

When I opened my eyes, we were in an alleyway just off of where the building for St. Mungo's was. I followed Colin down the street and to outside the mannequin. "We're here to see Launa Lupin," Colin told it, and we walked through the cool glass and into the lobby. It was a quiet day, no one bustling about, just a wizard with an arm that was a tree branch and a witch with two little girls who were covered in blue boils. We started up the stairs to Launa's ward.

Sarlanda was inside, as usual. She was just tipping the contents of a golden potion into Launa's mouth when we entered. She looked up when she had finished, her expression blank. "Can't say I'm surprised to see you. She's getting better, I promise. This potion's really been helping." She was right. A little bit of Launa's complexion was coming back - she didn't look like she was on her death-bed, at least.

"Let's leave him," Sarlanda said, and she tugged Colin out of the ward.

I stared at her in silence for almost a minute before I could get my muscles to work. I pulled up a chair and practically fell into it, running my hands through my dark hair. When I finally said something, my voice broke. "Launa, I... well, you look a little better." This was stupid. She couldn't hear me. "I know... I know I probably look crazy. But I miss you. I want you to come back." I pulled out my wand and waved it over the ugly vase on her dresser. It turned taller, thinner and whiter, and filled with blue and yellow flowers. "There, I hope you like those. They're your favorite colours, anyways."

I stuffed my wand away and carefully reached over to take her hand. It was cold in mine, like she was dead. "Launa, please get better. I... bloody hell, I'm a mess without you. School is terrible. I had to take over your spot on the Quidditch team, which, you know me, isn't the best idea. And Potions... well, Harry is Slughorn's favorite, but it's all because of that book. I bet you'd be his favorite if you... if you were there." I could feel myself choking up, my eyes watering, but I refused to cry. "DADA is murder, though. Snape is such a... what would you call him... dung eater. _Troll dung_ eater."

I kind of chuckled, imagining how Launa would say that, how her eyebrows would scrunch up and a bit of light brown hair would get stuck to her lips when she went on and on about how she hated Snape. I rubbed my thumb on the back of her hand, trying to heat it up a little. "So, you should get better. I can't write music anymore. I just can't get anything to sound right. And I can't lose you. Not you, too." I squeezed my eyes shut because the tears were coming. "I... _no_. You're not going to die. I won't let you. I'll do anything, anything if you'll just get better. And whoever did this to you is going to have hell to pay." With a final squeeze, I let go of her hand. When I opened my eyes again, my vision was a little blurred by the tears. I caught them on my fingertips before they could fall down my cheeks. I couldn't cry. I had to be stronger than that.

I left her ward when I had recollected myself. Colin and Sarlanda were just down the hall, chatting quietly. "All good?" Sarlanda asked as I approached them.

"Yes," I responded. "I left her some flowers, too."

"Good, that room needed something." She turned her attention back to Colin. "I've got to get back to work. The final potion that should do the trick is only two months away from being finished."

"_Only?_"

"Yes. It's a tricky brew," Sarlanda replied shortly. "Be careful." And then she was gone, her long hair swishing behind her, contrasted sharply by her lime green Healer robes.

"Right then," I said after a few moments. "I should be getting back to school."

"If... if you want to," Colin said, and we started for the exit. Out on the street, he was about to Apparate us back to Hogwarts when he said, "You know what? Let's take a detour."

"To where?"

"A surprise."

"I don't like surprises," I said in a surly voice, but he ignored me and started walking, leaving me with no choice but to follow. I kicked rocks on the way, frustrated with Colin. Couldn't he just let me go back to Hogwarts to sulk in peace?

We ended up walking the streets of London and right into an ice cream parlor. I sighed and shook my head. "What do you want?" Colin asked, pulling out some Muggle money from his pocket. "Everything here is good."

"I..." I wanted to say, _"I don't want anything,"_ but then I figured he would just argue with me, so I checked the menu and said, "Cookie dough, I guess."

"Okay, so we need a chocolate and cookie dough," he told the man behind the counter. Colin paid, got the ice creams, and we sat down. It was sweet and tasted surprisingly good. We didn't talk at first, but I could sense Colin watching me. Did he think maybe I was going to chuck it? Not a chance, this stuff was gold.

"Feel better?" Colin asked as I started munching on the cone itself.

"Yeah," I replied. I really did. "Thanks. I guess I needed this."

"I figured," he smiled, wiping ice cream off the corner of his mouth. "Hyden, I'm just worried about you. We all are."

I frowned. "How come?"

"I mean, you've been... moodier than usual. I know it's about Launa," he said, holding a hand up to stop me from cutting in, "but look mate, she's getting better. And I don't know if it's really helping you out if you keep visiting her."

"But I want to," I argued. "I... I have to see her."

"That's good and all, but every weekend? Come on. You have schoolwork. I know you're playing Quidditch—"

"I took over her spot."

"—and you've got your music."

That last one struck home. "I haven't been able to write anything," I finally said, finishing off the cone. "I can't. I can't focus long enough, and nothing I write sounds good."

"Are you being honest with yourself?"

"Er… yes?" I said, confused.

"I mean," Colin said carefully, thinking, "are you being completely honest when you write? Because music is good therapy, but you just need to be truthful about it."

"I don't need therapy," I muttered. "I'm not a nutter."

"I didn't say you were. I'm saying you need to work through this mumbo jumbo of crappy feelings so that you can get yourself back on track. You're not doing anyone any good, least of all Launa, by just moping around and being surely."

I blinked. No one had ever put it that way. No one had ever been that honest with me about what I was doing. "I... I guess. Yeah, you're right, Colin," I said, giving in.

He smiled slightly. "Mate, it's alright to show your feelings. And if it works better for you to put it in a song, then do it."

I just nodded, and we got up to leave. He led me over to an alley and held out his elbow. "Ready to go back?"

"Yeah." I was. And I already had an idea for a song I was going to write the second I got back to my guitar. Maybe now, the silence could go away and my head would be filled with music again.

* * *

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